


The Blood of the Covenant

by Redonkgirl



Series: Fate Will Find A Way. [9]
Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Spoilers, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-07
Updated: 2016-06-01
Packaged: 2018-06-06 20:18:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 23,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6768529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redonkgirl/pseuds/Redonkgirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Sokovia Accords creates a rift throughout the Avengers; Steve has chosen to oppose them while Tony has chosen to stand for them.</p><p>Each Avenger must choose between Steve or Tony, which leaves Maria Stark with an uncomfortable question;</p><p>Whose side is she on?</p><p>(Prologue does not contain spoilers for Civil War, the rest does)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Cameras flashed in the room; the group of older men sitting at the table all facing the young woman who seemed slightly uncomfortable in her Burberry suit.

“Miss Stark, you were involved in the destruction of Sokovia, yes?”

“I’d say I was involved in the termination of Ultron, but semantics.”

“Were you in any way involved in the creation of the program Ultron?”

“No, sir.”

“Were you aware that Ultron was being created?”

“Not until he was finished.”

“You refer to it as a he; why?”

“He stopped being an it when he had a mind of his own. I can use they if you find assigning computer programs genders as arbitrary as I do. I just assumed a bunch of Senators would prefer he.”

The press core tittered as the Senators huffed slightly; the young woman seeming to grow slightly more comfortable.

“Miss Stark, when and how did you receive your _abilities?”_

“A few months ago I chose the wrong time to enter my Dad’s lab. Things went south with an experiment and I got the fallout.”

“What was the experiment your father was conducting?”

“Ask him.”

“And why did you keep this a secret from the public? Why did you pretend to be ill?”

“I was scared; I needed to understand and come to grips with what happened to me without other people freaking out as well.”

There was a sound of appreciation from the press making the young woman smile slightly; they were siding with her.

“Miss Stark, do you recognize these people?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Could you give us their names please?”

“Pietro and Wanda Maximoff.”

“They are twins, correct?”

“Senator, I’ve seen you ask every one of my teammates this question, I think by now you should understand the concept of twins.”

“Miss Stark, I can hold you in contempt.”

“Yes, they’re twins.”

“And they’re both enhanced?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Miss Stark, you must be aware that many people in the world and a few on this committee believe that people like the Maximoffs should be incarcerated.”

“Do you mean people like me, Senator?”

“People who are enhanced _and_ are a threat to the national security.”

“What makes you think they’re anymore of a threat than I am? Is it because they talk funny, Senator?”

“Miss Stark, if you’re implying that this committee is profiling the Maximoffs-.”

“Of course not, when has a US Senator ever done that?”

“Miss Stark, if we could return to the point. You need to understand that the Maximoffs pose serious risks to our security. What if they disagree with the US and decide to take things into their own hands?”

“Senator, the only time the Maximoffs would do such a thing is when the US itself is committing morally wrong acts. And if that day comes, it won’t be just the Maximoffs ‘taking things into their own hands.’”

A ripple ran through the press after she said that; the main Senator leaning forward slightly.

“You’re saying that if you disagreed with the US, you would defy us?”

“If the US government was the one hurting people, abroad or otherwise, then we would step in. After educating ourselves to the issue and coming to a common consensus, of course.”

“Miss Stark, you must realize this will alarm people. This will make more people want to make sure you and the other enhanced are jailed.”

“You’re welcome to try.”

“Is that a threat, Miss Stark?”

“Were you not just threatening _me_ , Senator?”

“You were threatening the United States, Miss Stark.”

“I was threatening a hypothetical evil regime; if those words scared you, that’s _your_ problem, not mine.”

Another ripple went through the press; the young woman was gaining the upper hand and everybody knew it.

“Miss Stark, are you implying that this committee is some sort of dictatorship?”

“No, I’m implying that you might think you are.”

“Miss Stark, you’re not making a good case for yourself, the Maximoffs, and any other enhanced.”

“The only way this committee would be happy would be if I pledged to serve the government even when it itself becomes the very entity our team has sworn to fight. That and if I promised to hand over the scary foreigners.”

“You’re wording is filled with disgust, but wanting to be sure you and the other enhanced won’t try to hurt the US is a valid demand.”

It was quiet for a moment, everyone realizing that the young woman was weighing her options.

“Senator, who do you think I am?”

“Miss Stark-.”

“No, listen. If you think you’re in the position to demand that I protect evil just because it has the letters USA slapped on it is what an evil mind would want. I stand for the US, Senator, and the US is not just a country. The US is the simple idea of freedom and justice for all, and I will _always_ stand for that. But, if the US ever stops standing for that, that’s when we’re going to have a problem. By the way, there’s no clause in that that says that if someone can pick up a car or outrun a plane or move things with their mind that they’re no longer allowed basic freedom.”

“You’re riding a _fine_ line, Stark.”

“So are you.”

“… I would watch yourself; this committee will be a large part in deciding on yours and the Maximoffs’ fate.”

“Let me apologize for not being  intimidated.”

“You think we _won’t_ lock you away?”

“How can you? We’ve committed no crime, we’ve helped save the world, and it’s gonna be really awkward in a couple years when something happens and you need our help.”

“You think something will happen?”

“When has the world ever kept the peace?”

It was quiet in the room for a moment; only the sound of cameras clicking disrupting the silence.

“Miss Stark, you’ve given me _no_ concrete reason to not incarcerate the Maximoffs and instead have cast shadow onto _your_ loyalties.”

“My loyalties haven’t changed in the slightest; I’m loyal to the idea of freedom and justice.”

“And you’ve become loyal to the Maximoffs?”

Maria Stark smirked.

“I have _always_ been loyal to my soulmates.”


	2. Chapter 1

“I should’ve been there.”

Jade Moore looked over at where her friend was sitting beside her; both had been enraptured by the news coverage on one of the TV screens that had been playing news coverage of what had happened in Lagos.

 “It would’ve happened no matter what,” Jade replied, kindly but not gently “You wouldn’t have been able to stop it.”

“I should’ve been there for Wanda, then.”

“She wasn’t hurt,” Jade offered.

Maria Stark looked over at Jade; Jade reading expression in a second.

“I know.”

It was quiet again between the two girls; only the sound of the newscast and the babble of people.

_“Flight DL597 now boarding.”_

“This is not exactly how I imagined our reunion,” Jade said, Maria sighing as both women stood.

“Shit, I’m sorry; I kept you from the seminar too.”

“Do you really think that I want to listen to your Dad babble for an hour and a half?” Jade countered, Maria actually cracking a smile at that.

“If you see my Dad, tell him what happened and… keep your phone on?” Maria asked, Jade nodding seriously.

Both girls knew what was coming; neither knew how or why it would occur, but both knew it would.

And they both knew what it would mean for them.

Or, more specifically, what it would mean for Jade.

“You know I’m here no matter what,” Jade said, Maria smiling appreciatively.

“Thank you.”

“That’s what best friends are for,” Jade said, hugging the young Avenger who was her best friend “I’ll see you around, Maria.”

“Bye, Jade.”

.

Once Maria had gotten settled and the flight had taken off, she was left with her thoughts.

It had been about a year since the Ultron incident; a year since she’d met the Maximoffs.

Maria smiled slightly as she thought of them, leaning her head back and allowing herself to just think about her soulmates without thinking about anything else.

She first thought about the few days off they’d had in the past year; she thought about how some days they’d go out and enjoy New York City, or how other days they would just stay home and rest together.

Either way, those days were filled with laughter and pure happiness.

She then thought about the nights spent together; all three of them exhausted from training and all falling into a pile on their bed to sleep in one another’s arms. Or, if the day hadn’t been too hard on them, maybe a movie and then gentle love making.

Her favorite to think about were just random moments of happiness; like the time they’d been in charge of grocery shopping for the base, which had ended with all three (Even _Wanda,_ who was loving and kind but not one to be open about her feelings in public) laughing so hard they cried in the middle of a store.

Finally, she thought back to right before she’d left with her father to go to MIT.

_“We want you to enjoy yourself and see your friend… but we will miss you very much.”_

That had been two days ago; the original plan would have had her staying at MIT for exactly two hours longer than she had.

But, she understood; it was hard to be apart from her Maximoffs for any period of time, especially overnight.

Maria smiled as she recalled last night, when they’d spoken on the phone for over an hour before bed. It was always fun to talk on the phone with them; they would bicker over who got to hold it and about who got to answer and ask questions. Sometimes Maria thought they knew she found it cute and they did it on purpose.

Maria frowned slightly as she recalled the reason she’d decided to go home early.

For the past year, they’d been training hard almost every day and while she and Pietro were both badasses in their own rights, Wanda was something else entirely.

There seemed to be no limit to the power Wanda possessed.

It was a question she got asked a lot by her teammates, and although it was always different and often not very self-aware, it’s meaning was the same as the one her father asked her on one of the days he came to visit the Avengers.

_“Does it ever scare you how much Wanda can do?”_

Maria had thought long and hard about the answer.

_“Yes; I’m scared she’ll hurt herself.”_

Wanda was still getting a handle on it all and this is what Maria had feared would happen; people had died and Wanda undoubtedly blamed herself.

Well, Maria would just have to show her otherwise.

.

Eleven people.

Eleven people with lives and families and lovers.

Eleven people were now dead.

Wanda sat with her knees pulled up under her chin as she considered those eleven people she’d killed.

“It wasn’t your fault.”

Sometimes it was if her brother was the one who could read minds.

“They wouldn’t have died if it wasn’t for me.”

Pietro sighed, reaching out and gently rubbing his sister’s back.

If the Maximoffs were close before, meeting their soulmate had brought them even closer. There was a strange symmetry that came along with having the same soulmate and…

And after everything that happened on Sokovia, they couldn’t bear to be apart for long.

Not only had their homeland been destroyed, but Pietro…

Pietro had died; he was still dealing with that himself. But, it had happened.

He’d died and Maria brought him back.

The fact that Maria and Wanda had experienced losing him made the bond between the triad even stronger.

They knew what it was like to lose one another and they refused to ever go through that again.

The twins sat in silence for a little while until a soft cough alerted them to the person standing in the doorway of their room.

The twins turned to look and both felt their hearts melt.

“I’m home,” Maria said gently.

Usually when they’d been apart, Pietro would rush forward first to pull her into a kiss, but this time he hung back; allowing Wanda to move forward and hug her tightly.

“I saw the news,” Maria said, Wanda giving a shaky sigh into her neck “Breathe, iubita mea.”

Maria smiled as Wanda tightened her arms around her; Maria speaking their mother tongue always comforted them.

As the two women continued to hold each other, Maria and Pietro exchanged a worried look over Wanda’s shoulder.

When they finally broke away, Wanda’s eyes were slightly red as she sniffed slightly; Maria reaching out to stroke her hair lightly.

For a moment Maria considered asking her if she was alright, but she knew that was a dumb question.

So, instead she asked her if she wanted comfort.

“Would you like to cuddle?”

Wanda nodded, Maria smiling as the two headed over to the bed; Pietro on Maria’s heels. Maria sat down first, opening her arms for Wanda to crawl into, and then Pietro went on the other side of Wanda.

Once the triad was comfortable with Wanda’s head on Maria’s chest and Pietro wrapped around his sister’s back, Wanda spoke.

“If you saw the news, you know it’s my fault.”

“There was no good outcome from that, Wanda,” Maria protested, pulling Wanda tighter against her chest “Either you didn’t contain it and everybody on the ground died, the Avengers didn’t go and then Rumlow got his hands on a biological weapon, or what happened happened. I just wish I had been there.”

Wanda raised her head and shook it.

“No, no; you didn’t know this would happen. You deserved the time off.”

“Well, if I’m not allowed to self-deprecate, than neither are you,” Maria replied, smiling slightly as Wanda attempted to return it.

Wanda cuddled into Maria’s chest again, this time it became silent between the three; Pietro reaching out and gently stroking Maria’s hair as a hello.

And then Wanda’s stomach growled.

“Wanda, did you not eat out of guilt?” Maria asked, Wanda frowning.

“I didn’t realize.”

“No one ever does,” Maria said simply “Do you want me to make dinner?”

“I want to cuddle,” Wanda said, only for her stomach to growl again “… Yes, please.”

“So long as you don’t almost burn down the base,” Pietro cut in.

“One time!”

.

“You’re back early,” Steve said, Maria smiling ruefully as she stirred the pasta she was making.

“Saw the news.”

Steve nodded and looked down; the silence sad but also familiar between them.

Steve had been the one to coach her the most over the past year; he understood what it was like to gain immense strength in a short amount of time and he knew how to help her get her body under her control.

Maria liked Steve; they had a lot in common and agreed on a lot of things. And what they didn’t agree on always became a friendly debate, with mutual respect on either side.

“Wanda?” Steve asked.

“As to be expected. She and Pietro are back in our room… Can you go make sure they’re not watching the news again? It’s not good for them.”

Steve nodded and exited the kitchen, Maria smiling; Steve was good at helping people understand that they just had to keep going.

“Making dinner, Maria? You gonna set the kitchen on fire again?”

“I don’t know, Sam; are you going to get your ass handed to you by an amateur again?”

“You were making ramen.”

“He called himself Ant-Man.”

.

“Why’d you skip out without a warning?”

Maria looked up from her spot doing the dishes; the three had finished their dinner and Maria had volunteered to clean up the mess.

“Saw the news and needed to get home,” Maria said, shrugging slightly “I told Jade to tell you I’d left.”

“You own a phone, don’t you?”

“Dad,” Maria said, slightly annoyed “I was a little preoccupied.”

Tony sighed and nodded.

It wasn’t that Tony didn’t like that Maria had found her soulmates; he just worried about her sometimes. The Maximoffs were powerful, and while Maria was very strong, she was still his daughter. He worried.

“Sorry, I just worry about you, kid,” Tony said, Maria smiling slightly.

“I know, I just…” Maria shrugged, Tony nodding.

“Anyway, we need you in the conference room.”

“Why?”

“The Secretary of State is here.”

.

“Huh! 5 Years ago, I had a heart attack. Dropped right in the middle of my batting swing. Turns out it was the best round of my life because after 13 hours of surgery and a triple bypass, I found something 40 years in the army never taught me: Perspective. The world owes the Avengers an un-payable debt. You've fought for us, protected us, risked your lives. And while there're great many people who see you as heroes, there are some who prefer the word ‘vigilantes.’”

Maria was sat at the table, in between the twins, listening to Secretary Ross with a frown on her face.

“And what word would you use, Mr. Secretary?” Natasha asked.

“How about "Dangerous?" What would you call a group of US-based, enhanced individual who routinely ignore sovereign borders and inflict their will wherever they choose and who, frankly, seem unconcerned with what they leave behind. New York, Washington D.C., Sokovia, Lagos...”

Wanda winced and Maria reached forward to grip her hand.

“Okay, that’s enough,” Steve said, seeing the exchange.

“Respira, Dragă,” Maria murmured, Wanda nodding slightly as Tony winced from his spot in the corner; it wasn’t that he hated the fact his daughter spoke Sokovian, it was how she came about to.

_“When’d you learn Sokovian?” Tony asked, amused after his daughter had jokingly chastised Pietro for his language._

_“Didn’t; Wanda put it in my head.”_

It gave Tony chills whenever he remembered who nonchalantly Maria had said that.

“In the past 4 years, you've operated with unlimited power and no supervision. That's an arrangement the governments of the world can no longer tolerate. But I think we have a solution: The Sokovia Accords. Approved by a hundred seventeen countries. It states that the Avengers shall no longer be a private organization. Instead, they'll operate under the supervision of the United Nations Panel only "when" and "if" that Panel deems it necessary.”

“The Avengers are formed to make the world a safer place. I feel we've done it,” Steve interjected.

“Tell me, Captain. Do you know where Thor and Banner are right now? If I misplaced a couple of Mega-ton Nukes, you can bet there'll be consequences.”

“With all due respect, Secretary,” Maria cut in, everyone looking at her in surprise “I think we would all appreciate it if you didn’t equate people with minds and hearts and strong understandings of right and wrong to nothing more than weapons at your disposal.”

“Miss Stark, I understand your point, but many people do think of the Avengers simply as weapons. These Accords are the middle grounds.”

“So, there are contingencies,” Rhodey said.

“Three days from now, the UN meet in Vienna to ratify the Accords. So, talk it over.”

“And if we come to a decision you don't like?” Natasha asked.

“Then you retire.”

.

Sam and Rhodey were having a heated argument while everybody else was quiet.

Wanda was silent as she ran through the thoughts in Maria’s head; it was slightly chaotic at the moment, she was trying to figure out where she stood. Maria was awoken out of her thoughts by Vision speaking.

“Our very strength incites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict... breeds catastrophe. Supervision is not something to be dismissed out-of-hand.”

“Beautiful insight, Yoda,” Maria said, her voice tired but not cruel.

“Tony, you're being uncharacteristically non-hyperverbal,” Natasha said.

“That’s because he’s already decided,” Steve said, Maria frowning.

“We need to be put in check. Whatever form that takes, I'm game.”

Where did that leave her?

.

“Maria?”

Maria looked up at her Dad, giving him a tired smile from her spot in between the twins on the couch.

“Yeah?”

“Can I talk to you for a second?”

Maria nodded and followed him out of the room into the hallway.

“What’s up?”

“You were quiet during everything,” Tony said frowning; usually his daughter knew where she stood and was vocal about it.

“I’m just tired; commercial flights seriously suck,” Maria said, Tony smiling appreciatively.

“You could’ve just waited a few hours and we could’ve flown out together.”

“I was in a rush,” Maria said, shrugging “I would’ve gone crazy waiting.”

“Just like your old man… Listen, speaking of everything that happened… it would look good if you _go_ to the Accords.”

Maria nodded.

“Yeah, okay.”

.

“He wants her to go to the Accords,” Wanda said, listening into their heads as Pietro frowned.

“Will she?” Pietro asked.

“Yes.”

“Will she sign?” Pietro asked, Wanda frowning.

“She doesn’t know.”

.

“Pretty Girl?”

Maria turned around and smiled, even though the twins could both tell it was strained.

“Yes?”

“You… You understand whatever you choose, we will follow, yes?” Pietro asked, Maria frowning slightly.

“Just because we’re soulmates doesn’t mean you two aren’t allowed to have your own opinions,” Maria said.

“Opinions, yes, but we’ve spent so long in hatred and bitterness, sometimes we have trouble knowing right from wrong. You are our compass, Pretty Girl; where you point, we follow.”

Maria swallowed hard and shut her eyes.

“You’d think that’d be comforting but it’s not.”

“You’re not sure,” Wanda said gently.

“I’m having a hard time discerning between right and what I want to be right. Every time I make a decision, I question it until it’s unmade.”

“We could just leave,” Pietro offered “Barton might have a good point about retiring.”

Maria shook her head.

“I may not be able to tell which is right, but I won’t choose abandonment.”

Both of the twins smiled, although their eyes were sad.

“And that’s why we love you.”

.

“Steve okay?”

Natasha looked over at the young girl beside her as they entered the Accords in Vienna; both having passed the mob of reporters to make it inside.

“As good as he can be.”

Maria nodded; Peggy had passed away a few days ago and her funeral was today.

Maria couldn’t even imagine how Steve was feeling; he had only one last part of his old life remaining now.

Maria’s thoughts were interrupted by some delegate.

“Ah, Ms. Romanov, Miss Stark, this is Prince T’Challa of Wakanda.”

They both shook hands with the Prince, Maria choosing to speak first.

“I am truly sorry for what happened in Lagos, and I regret that I wasn’t there.”

The Prince smiled slightly.

“I am glad to hear it; I can tell you mean it. And I thank you for your agreement with all of this.”

Maria smiled slightly; he was nice.

“I’m sorry, but Miss Stark?” The same delegate said “We need your signature.”

“Excuse me,” Maria said, following after the delegate.

This was it; now or never.

Every different argument raced through her head.

And then it hit her.

All at once, every warning bell in Maria’s head went off; someone was watching her.

Maria looked to her left at the doorway, only to see the back of someone’s shoe and a bit of skirt as someone walked away.

“Excuse me,” Maria said to the delegate “I need to use the restroom real quick.”

“Miss Stark-,” the delegate started.

“Lady problems.”

“Of course, of course; through that hallway.”

“Thank you.”

Maria exited the room and started to go the way the person had.

They were just far enough ahead of her for her not to get a good look at them; always just making it to see them turn a corner.

Finally, Maria turned a corner and saw the elevator doors closing; Maria catching them only to reveal that no one was inside.

“I understand why your main job is lifting things.”

Maria twirled around and came face to face with the person she’d been following.

“Belladonna.”

Maria’s mother gave her a tight smile.

“We need to talk.”


	3. Chapter 2

“If you think for one goddamn second I’m going to talk with you, then you’re not just a _bitch;_ you’re a _stupid_ bitch,” Maria spat, moving to walk away only for Belladonna to grab her arm. Maria wrenched it away and gave her a look before she continued to walk away.

“Maria,” Belladonna called after her “… Please?”

Maria paused and sighed; she knew Belladonna wasn’t one for asking nicely. This must be very important to her.

Finally, Maria turned around and gave her a hard look.

“You have ten minutes.”

.

“How’s the Afterlife?” Maria asked.

“Your friends tore it apart,” Belladonna said tightly with a sardonic smile.

The two women were sat in the lounge area in a bathroom. Of course, anyone could walk in on them talking, but that was preferable to someone finding them speaking in a conference room; this was less suspicious looking.

“I know; just wanted to make you squirm. Anyway, why’re you here?” Maria asked.

“The Sokovia Accords.”

“I assumed,” Maria said hostility.

“You can’t-.” Belladonna cut herself off, rethinking her wording “You shouldn’t sign it… Please.”

“Why not?” Maria asked.

“Maria, this will only be the beginning; don’t you think that politicians across the globe are excited for this to go through so they can start cracking down on the enhanced in their countries?”

Maria frowned but spoke.

“Even if I don’t sign, those laws will still be made.”

“But with how much protest from the Inhumans?” Belladonna asked, Maria frowning in confusion “Maria, you need to show them that compliance with laws that would oppress them is the last thing they should be doing… Besides, you shouldn’t sign something you’re unsure about.”

“What makes you think I’m unsure about it?” Maria demanded, Belladonna smiling ruefully.

“Because you wouldn’t have given me the time of day if you were convinced.”

Maria took a deep breath, Belladonna copying it.

Maria was unsure; Belladonna knew that, but…

Maria was scared.

It was easy to see; she was scared of the repercussions of either of the choices.

She would always have the Twins, but Maria needed to know someone would have her back; someone who wasn’t close to the Accords. Someone who’d love her regardless of what she chose to do.

Belladonna swallowed hard as it hit her;

Maria needed a mother.

That ship had sailed a long time ago, Belladonna knew that… She _couldn’t_ be her mother.

So, she’d just have to be a desperate woman; unable to protect her people.

“Maria… Jiaying is dead… Afterlife has been destroyed… You need to stand for your people… For _our_ people. There’s no one else who can.”

Maria studied her mother’s face; there was no malicious intent, she _truly_ wanted what was best for their people. There was something else there too… Wistfulness. For what, Maria didn’t know.

Before Maria could say either way, they were interrupted.

An explosion went off.

Not in the room, of course, on the other side of the building; where the Accords were taking place. Both women held on tightly to their seats as everything shook, then, when it was over, Maria looked over at Belladonna, who shrugged.

“It wasn’t me.”

.

Once everything had cleared up, Belladonna had disappeared. That didn’t surprise Maria; that was what she was good at.

People had died, including King T’Chaka, which left T’Challa heartbroken and in charge of a country.

Maria had already gotten off the phone with the Twins, gently soothing them and telling them that she was alright, and her father, who needed to be soothed, but differently.

_“Because you wouldn’t have given me the time of day if you were convinced.”_

Like it or not, Belladonna was right.

God, both sides of this had good points, both sides had downsides.

One side had her father.

Maria noticed that Natasha was speaking with someone, the young woman hopping up and walking over to her.

“Who did this?” Maria asked, Natasha giving her look and leading her a bit away from the group before she told her.

“Bucky. It was Bucky.”

“Shit,” Maria hissed, Natasha nodding “Steve?”

“Told him to stay away,” Natasha said, Maria giving her a look “… They’ve been ordered to shoot Barnes on sight.”

Before Natasha could see Maria’s expression, she was called away by someone, leaving Maria in a stunned horror.

Maria took a seat on a bench, burying her face in her hands.

She needed her mom.

Would she even want to talk to her, though?

Maria swallowed hard before reaching into her pocket to pull out her phone; picking out the person she wanted to talk to most in the world.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Pepper.”

It was quiet for a moment, Maria wondering what would happen next.

“Maria, honey, what’s wrong?”

Maria breathed a sigh of relief; same Pepper.

“I need to ask you something that’s probably a little too personal and raw.”

“You want to know why I left your father,” Pepper said sadly.

“No, I understand the why, it’s just… How did you know that leaving him was the right thing to do? How could you tell between your own feelings and what was right for everybody?”

“Maria, I know this is about the Sokovia Accords.”

“How did you-?”

“I know everything,” Pepper said “Maria, you know right from wrong; you know the best side of a _grey_ area. You need to follow your gut, because it hasn’t led you astray yet… I know your father, Maria; I bet he hasn’t exactly given you a chance to think about it for yourself, but I want… I want you to know that no matter if you sign or if you have to tell him no, I will _always_ be in your corner.”

It was quiet for a moment while Maria sniffed, trying not to cry and knowing that Pepper was doing the same.

 “And… if things go really bad, there will always be a place for you and the Maximoffs with me.”

Maria swallowed hard; this is what she’d needed. She’d needed a parental figure to promise she’d love her no matter what; she could do what needed to be done now.

“Thank you, Pepper.”

“Always, Maria.”

.

“Where are you going?”

Natasha turned to where Maria was; Natasha noticing the red around her eyes. She’d been crying.

“They’ve got a lead on Barnes.”

“I’m coming,” Maria said immediately, Natasha sighing.

“Maria, go back to the base; to the twins. With Steve looking for him as well… This is going to get messy.”

“I’m a part of this just as much as everyone else,” Maria said without the slightest bit of hesitation “I’m coming.”

Natasha sighed before smiling slightly.

“Sometimes you really remind me of Steve.”

“Thanks, I think.”

.

“It’s not his fault.”

Tony turned towards his daughter, grabbing her arm and pulling her off to the side; away from any prying government officials.

Natasha had just arrived and evidently she’d brought Maria with her. Tony wished she’d gone back to the base; she could’ve kept an eye on the Twins while he dealt with everything.

“Maria, he blew up the Accords,” Tony said.

“You know that wasn’t him,” Maria protested.

Tony sighed; when his daughter got stuck on something, there was no getting her to let go.

“Listen, I get it; you spend a lot of time with Steve and you’ve got this idea of a tragic hero in your head, and that may very well be true. But, this is how it works now, Maria,” Tony said, Maria’s jaw clenching and letting the silence hang for a moment.

“I want the twins here,” Maria said suddenly “I don’t want to be… I want them here.”

Tony sighed; knowing what he had to tell his daughter.

“It’s for the best if they stay at the base for now; everything is rocky with the Accords. Vision will keep them company.”

Maria could see through her father’s words in a second.

“You’re keeping them _prisoner?”_ She hissed, Tony sighing and putting his hands up.

“We’re just keeping them there for their own safety; what if something like Lagos happens when everything’s on a knife’s edge? They’re not even US citizens, Maria; they could deported.”

“Deported to where?!” Maria demanded “A pile of ash?!”

“Deported to a prison cell,” Tony hissed, Maria’s jaw clenching as she winced slightly; Tony knowing he’d gotten through to her “I’m doing my _very_ best to make sure that they don’t end up there. But, I need them to stay at the base while I smooth everything over. Can you please just go along with this for now?”

It was quiet for a moment, then Maria turned on her heel and headed into one of the offices; pulling out her phone and making a call.

Tony listened in as she talked.

“Baby, I know, I know; just sit tight for a little while… Please, trust me?”

Tony took a sigh of relief; he hadn’t pissed her off too much. She was still with him.

“Busolei tocmai a găsit nord.”

Tony frowned; he didn’t understand that bit.

“Catch that, Friday?”

“She said that the compass just found north.”

.

Run.

Run.

Run.

Steve’s behind you.

So is the other.

The other is closer.

Run.

Bucky Barnes (because that was his name; he knew that now) ran faster; the man in black with claws was right behind, with Steve right behind him.

If he was going to get away, he was going to need a vehicle; he could never get away from any of them on foot.

As if someone heard him, he became aware of a motorcycle that was going opposite of traffic; barreling towards him only to stop a few feet ahead of him.

The figure on the bike was covered by black and red body armor and a helmet; not a single patch of their skin was visible, but their arm was outstretched towards him.

They were holding a gun.

But, they weren’t aiming it _at_ him; they were holding it out for him to _take._

Bucky made a split second decision; taking the gun and jumping on the back of the bike; the driver taking off again while Bucky turned and took a few shots at the man in the black suit. They all landed, of course, but that suit was strong, and they bounced off.

The motorcyclist was good; weaving in between traffic and making it harder for the man with the claws to catch up. Their bike was fast, as well; faster than an average bike.

They made a sharp swerve, causing Bucky to have to reach out and wrap one of his arms (his right one; didn’t want to hurt them on accident) around them.

The cyclist sped up slightly as the man in the black suit began to gain on them.

But, they weren’t fast enough.

The man with claws grabbed him and pulled him off, which upset the stability of the bike; the cyclist being thrown off as well and rolling a bit away.

Steve came running and stopped the man in black from killing him, but the police were closing in quickly.

By the time Bucky looked, the cyclist had already booked it; almost completely out of sight. He went to follow suit, but it was too late; the police had their guns trained on him.

Then, the man in the suit landed.

Not Iron Man; the other one. Rhodes.

Steve held his hand out to show him not to attack; Bucky sighing as they arrested him.

He was fucked.

.

 _“_ _Busolei tocmai a găsit nord.”_

The Maximoffs sat across from each other; playing a game of Backgammon to pass the time.

Pietro was having trouble staying still, Wanda could tell; he wanted to help but Maria had told them to stay put, so they were staying put.

Whenever Pietro wanted to do something, it was very hard for him _not_ to; he was impulsive and excited by nature. It became especially bad when it came to Maria, though; he just wanted to help her. He wanted to make sure she was okay and that she was okay in her decision.

Of course, she hadn’t _told_ them her decision, just that she’d made it.

So, they would wait.

After Pietro readjusted for the fifth time in thirty seconds, Wanda decided to distract him.

“Do you remember that time Maria took us out to dinner at that fancy restaurant-?”

“And I knocked over a glass of red wine,” Pietro said, smiling slightly.

“And I caught it,” Wanda added.

“And that old woman saw you holding it with your powers and she shrieked.”

Both of the Twins laughed at the memory of that woman’s shell-shocked expression; completely frozen as she stared at the glass floating in midair.  Pietro smiled and began this time.

“Do you remember that time Maria took us to that baseball game-.”

“And the ball almost hit her in the face,” Wanda added, smiling.

“But I caught it.”

“And she made you give it to that little girl sitting in front of us.”

They both smile fondly at the memory of the little girl’s wide eyes as Pietro passed it to her; once he’d done it, Maria had leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

Pietro’s smile slipped; Wanda sensing the change in mood.

“I miss her too.”

“We should be there to help her…” Pietro muttered “To be there _for_ her.”

“… She told us to stay put,” Wanda said, sighing as Pietro sadly nodded in agreement.

“So we stay put.”

.

Steve sat quietly in his office, which was just a nice looking cell, to be honest. He was studying the footage of the chase that was on the news; wondering if there was a way he could’ve changed the outcome.

He looked up as Tony entered the room, also studying the footage.

“Who’s the cyclist?”

Steve shrugged, turning back to the footage.

“No idea… Good Samaritan, I guess.”

“Or Bad.”

Steve looked over at Tony with a humorless smile.

“Depends where you’re looking from.”

It was quiet for a moment.

“Hey, you wanna see something cool? I pulled something from dad's archives. Well, timely. FDR signed Land-Lease bills with these in 1941. Provided support to the allies when they needed it most.”

“Some said it brought our country closer to war,” Steve replied, looking at the pens.

“Seen enough of these, you wouldn't be here. I'm trying to, whatdoyoucallit, a... an olive branch... is that what you call it?”

“Is Pepper here? I didn't see her,” Steve asked; he’d seen Maria. She’d been sat in one of the offices; intently watching the chase with an unhappy expression.

“We are... kinda... well not kinda...” Tony said awkwardly.

“Pregnant?” Steve offered.

“No, hah, definitely not. We're taking a break. It's nobody's fault.”

“So sorry, Tony. I didn't know,” Steve said apologetically.

“… Few years ago I almost lost her so I trashed all my suits. Then we had to muck up Hydra. Then Ultron, my fault. And then, and then, and then. I never stopped. Cause the truth is I don't wanna stop. I don't wanna lose her. I thought maybe the Accords can split the difference. In her defense, I'm her handful. Yet dad was a pain in the ass, but he and mom always made it work,” Tony said, shrugging.

“You know, I'm glad Howard got married. I only knew him when he was young and single.”

“Oh really? You two know each other? He never mentioned that. Maybe only a thousand times. God, I hated you,” Tony laughed slightly.

“I don't mean to make things difficult,” Steve tried.

“I know. Because you're a very polite person.”

“If I see a situation pointed south, I can't ignore it. Sometimes I wish I could,” Steve said.

“No, you don’t,” Tony replied, Steve smiling slightly.

“No… I don’t.”

“Sometimes I wanna _punch_ you in your _perfect_ teeth. But I don't wanna see you gone. We need you, Cap. Until further nothing's happen that can't be undone, please... sign. We can live the last 24 hours legit. Barnes gets transferred to an American psych center instead of a Wakanda prison,” Tony said, somewhat desperately.

“… I'm not saying it's impossible. But there would have to be safeguards,” Steve said.

“Sure. Once we put out the PR, there's documents that can be amended. I file a motion to have you and the Twins reinstated,” Tony said, attempting to be helpful.

“The Twins? What about them?” Steve asked, frowning.

“They’re fine. They’re confined to the compound currently. Vision’s keeping them company,” Tony explained, Steve sighing in annoyance.

“God, Tony! Every time. Every time I think you're seeing things the right way...”

“It's 100 acres with a lap pool. It's got a screening room. There's worse way to protect people. They’re not US Citizens and they don't grant visas to Weapons of Mass Destruction.”

“Protection? Is that how you see this? This is protection? It's internment, Tony. Come on, they’re _kids_!” Steve argued.

“GIVE ME A BREAK! ... I'm doing what has to be done... to save us from something worse,” Tony said.

It was quiet for a moment.

“Does Maria know?” Steve asked.

“Yes,” Tony said tiredly “She wasn’t exactly pleased, but she understands.”

“Is that what she said or is that what you’ve decided she feels?” Steve asked, his tone biting.

“I don’t want to talk about my parenting, Steve,” Tony said, Steve laughing without humor.

“This isn’t _parenting;_ this is you not letting someone make a choice.”

“She’s made her choice,” Tony replied.

“Has she? Or have you made it for her?” Steve asked.

Before Tony could reply, there was a soft knock on the doorway to get their attention; both men turned and saw Maria standing in the doorway.

“Hi.”

She looked tired, Steve noticed; _incredibly_ tired.

“Maria, can you please talk to him?” Tony asked, relieved.

“Sure.”

It was quiet for a moment before Maria looked over at her father and awkwardly motioned with her head for him to leave. Once he’d left the room, Steve spoke.

“You can’t be okay with the Twins being locked up.”

“I’m not,” Maria replied, a thin layer of anger at the fact Steve even _implied_ she might be.

“Then why does Tony think you are?” Steve asked.

“Because I’m letting slide right now. Because I grasp that I _have_ to let this slide right now for the greater good.”

“You seriously think the Accords is the greater good?” Steve asked desperately “Maria, I _know_ you; this isn’t something you’d believe in if it weren’t for Tony.”

It was quiet for a long moment.

Maria turned on her heel, leaving the room; Steve sighed and looked away, not noticing Maria pausing in the doorway.

“Good Samaritan.”


	4. Chapter 3

**Longing.**

No.

**Rusted.**

Not again.

**Seventeen.**

Please, no.

**Daybreak.**

He’d finally been free.

**Furnace.**

He didn’t want to; he needed to control himself.

**Nine.**

He didn’t want to go back.

**Benign.**

He wanted to stay Bucky.

**Homecoming.**

Please, god, no.

**One.**

He didn’t want to forget.

**Freight Car**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**Soldier?**

The Winter Solider stood straight.

“Ready to comply.”

.

Bucky- no, that wasn’t Bucky- the _Winter Soldier_ was heading towards the roof.

Maria swallowed hard as she took in the dead eyed man that was fighting off her friends; she had to stop him.

Maria ran forwards, obviously catching the Soldier off guard when she was able to catch his metal fist. But, to be perfectly honest, Maria was still young; she was still learning. The Soldier had been through this for years. And even though Maria put up a good fight, he still managed to throw her through a plate glass window.

They were on the third story.

Maria’s powers helped her from not dying and not breaking anything. But, that doesn’t mean it felt good.

Maria groaned slightly; she wanted to help but…

Screw it.

Maria’s head dropped down onto the ground.

Just a little nap.

.

Steve resurfaced with an unconscious Bucky in his arms; the helicopter he’d been trying to take having just crashed.

As awful as this would sound, there was an upside to this; they’d gotten out.

Now, he just needed to get them somewhere relatively safe and-.

Police sirens.

Shit.

He needed to hurry.

Steve swam to land, but before he could try to find a car to steal, a car came to him.

The car swung around to him; the back door opening to reveal Sam, who helped him get Bucky into the car without a word.

Once they were in, the car sped off, but Sam wasn’t the one driving.

The motorcyclist.

Still in their outfit; neither of the men able to tell the slightest aspect of them.

“Do you always wear that thing?” Steve asked sarcastically, the cyclists response was to push down on the peddle a little more; the car speeding up.

“Where are we going?” Sam asked suspiciously.

“Empty warehouse.”

The cyclist made a sharp turn as they said this; their voice muffled from behind the helmet.

“Why’re you helping us?” Steve asked.

No response; the cyclist just speeding up.

.

The two men lifted Bucky into the warehouse; securing him while the cyclist kept a look out.

Once both were certain Bucky was secure, both exchanged a look and came to a silent understanding.

The cyclist gave a soft yelp as Sam and Steve grabbed an arm each; dragging them inside. It occurred to the two men that cyclist was much _smaller_ than them; not _weirdly_ so, just, short.

They pushed them up against the wall.

“I just _helped_ you,” they protested.

“We don’t know why,” Sam countered.

“Maybe you want Bucky for HYDRA,” Steve added

“I’m not HYDRA!” They replied.

“Then who are you?”

They managed to get Steve and Sam to let go; the two men taking a step back as the cyclist reached up and removed their helmet.

.

Maria was fine, honestly, it freaked out the doctors how well she was doing.

She was currently sitting up in her makeshift bed; she didn’t really need it, but the doctors insisted.

“How’re you feeling?”

“ _Fine,”_ Maria said, Natasha cracking a smile.

“Well, people aren’t used to having you as a patient.”

Maria smiled slightly and it was quiet for a moment.

“Ross gave us thirty-six hours to get them before he sends his people in.”

It was quiet for a moment, Maria giving a big sigh; seeming to become dejected.

“I hate this.”

“… It’s what needs to be done.”

It was quiet again.

“Have you talked to the Twins lately?” Natasha asked, attempting to cheer up a very despondent Maria.

“Couple hours ago.”

“How are they?”

“Unhappy.”

Natasha smiled slightly at Maria’s blunt statement.

“Well, soon enough this will be all over with; they’ll be able to leave.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Maria muttered, looking away from Natasha, who frowned.

Where had all this hostility come from?

“Maria…?”

Maria looked back over and for a moment it was quiet; the two women looking into each other’s eyes.

Natasha finally smiled a melancholy smile and gently squeezed her arm.

“Rest.”

Maria smiled slightly and nodded.

“Alright, thanks, Natasha.”

“Yeah…”

Natasha went to leave the room, but not before pausing and looking back one last time.

.

“Jade?”

Jade smiled, raising her hands in a sort of “ta da” movement.

“Hey.”

“What-,” Steve said, frowning “Why’re you here?”

“Why do you think?” Jade replied, her voice slightly mocking “Maria called me.”

“But-But.”

Jade sighed and gave the two men a look.

“Just because she’s not blowing shit up every thirty seconds doesn’t mean she agrees with the Accords.”

“But, she’s not doing _anything,”_ Sam pointed out, Jade sending him a look.

“It’s nice to know I don’t exist,” Jade said before sighing “She figures that if she keeps up the ruse for as long as possible, it might help her get an advantage.”

“That’s… _incredibly_ devious,” Sam said.

“Yeah, well, we need it,” Jade said, Steve smiling slightly.

“We?”

“Hey, I’m a part of this mess now; no sense in acting like I’m not,” Jade replied, standing her ground; Steve respected that.

It was quiet for a moment before Steve spoke.

“It’s just… the underhand tactics… that doesn’t seem like Maria.”

“Desperate times,” Jade said, her eyes slightly sad.

“That made her okay with leaving the Twins in lock up?” Sam asked.

Jade’s face darkened in a chilling manor; Steve frowning as she scowled.

“Don’t act like you were there after she had to tell them to stay at the base.”

“And you were?”  Steve asked, Jade sending him a look.

“You know about those face masks that can look like anyone and you’re asking that question?” Jade asked incredulously, Steve and Sam nodding slightly.

“What happened, then?” Steve asked, frowning as Jade continued to scowl.

“I mean they should be noticing soon that they’re five soldiers short.”

The two men exchanged a quick look; did Maria...?

“Did she…?”

“I don’t _think_ so… None of them are going to be walking anytime soon, though… or, ever.” Jade’s dark look dropped and she sighed “I mean, she does feel bad for lashing out on people that weren’t the problem.”

“But… the problem,” Sam said slowly “It’s her dad.”

Jade sighed unhappily but before she could respond, there was sound from the next room;

Bucky.

.

This would’ve been a lot easier if Steve wasn’t so stubborn.

Tony Stark sighed, looking down at the Accords that had caused all this strife.

“Did you ever actually read it?”

Tony looked up and over at his daughter, who stood in the doorway.

“You should be resting.”

“I’m fine; did you ever read it?” Maria asked, dismissing Tony’s concerns.

“I skimmed it,” Tony replied, Maria snorting.

“I had someone read it; a lawyer.”

“We weren’t supposed to let anyone outside of the Accords read it,” Tony pointed out, Maria just giving him a look “… You trust them?”

“… If the Twins were on trial, he would be the one I would ask to represent them.”

Tony looked up at his daughter in surprise; saying she trusted someone with her own life was one thing… but the Twins?

“When was this?”

“Right after the Accords blew… I took T’Challa’s copy.”

“And?”

It was quiet for a moment, Maria just looking at the papers on the table.

“There’s some ugly stuff in this… It’s not… I don’t think it’s what you want it to be.”

It was quiet for a moment; Tony considering his answer.

“… It doesn’t matter what I want, it’s what’s right… About what’ll keep the world safe,” Tony said, silence falling between the father and daughter.

“… You’re right.”

Maria’s voice was raw; Tony turning to see her looking _very_ upset.

“Hey,” he said, walking over to her and gently putting his hand on her shoulder “What’s wrong?”

Maria sniffed; looking absolutely _miserable_ as she began to speak.

“… When I joined the Avengers I thought ‘This is it; I can finally protect people… I can do what I want; I can do what’s _right.’_ But now… what I want and what I know is right doesn’t… It doesn’t _overlap_.”  

“Hey, hey,” Tony said, pulling her into a hug as she began to cry “It’s okay; breathe…”

As Tony held his daughter close, his heart began to ache; why couldn’t it be like before? Why couldn’t he make this all better for her?

Tony sighed as he realized the truth; he’d never been able to make it all better for her.

“What is it you _want?”_ Tony asked, Maria pulling away and rubbing her tears away.

“I want us to be together; I don’t want our family to be split.”

Tony sighed.

“… I know this seems bad, but… The Avengers will continue to exist in some way; you, me, the Twins, Natasha, Vision, Rhodey… We’ll still be a family.”

Maria hiccupped slightly as she began to cry slightly harder; Tony sighing and pulling her into a hug again.

“I _promise_ we’ll still be a family.”

It was quiet as Maria buried her face in his chest; the only sound was her muffled sobs.

She then spoke through her tears.

“I love you.”

Tony lowered his head to her hair; shutting his eyes.

“I love you too, Munchkin.”

.

“Which Bucky am I talking to?”

The three faced Bucky; Steve at the front while Sam and Jade hung back slightly.

“Your mom's name was Sarah. She used to put newspapers in your shoes.”

Jade and Sam exchanged a look.

“That's not something you could have learned in a museum,” Steve said.

“Are we just supposed to take that and be okay with it?” Sam asked incredulously.

Bucky didn’t respond, instead his eyes flickered over Jade.

“Who’re you?” He asked, his voice heavy with suspicion; not that Jade could blame him.

“Jade; she’s a friend,” Steve said, his voice reassuring.

“You’re the cyclist,” Bucky said as he noticed what she held, Jade nodding “Thanks.”

“Not to be rude or anything, but I didn’t do it for you.”

.

After a discussion of what they needed to do, Jade piped in.

“Is there any way we can get the Twins out of captivity?”

“I thought Maria was going for the underhand,” Steve said.

“She _can’t_ anymore; they’re coming after you three and she’d rather the Twins weren’t where the government could get them once she shows her loyalties.”

“I got someone,” Sam said suddenly “We’ve already got him picking up one person, what’s another two?”

.

A long drive in a cramped car was not what Bucky had wanted after being brainwashed and nearly killing his friends.

But, here they were.

Steve had gotten behind the wheel and one _withering_ look from Sam Wilson informed Bucky he’d be sitting in the _back_ seat.

Jade had joined him the back; dropping her backpack at her feet.

“What’s in that thing?” Sam asked.

“Calm down; nothing that can be tracked,” Jade said, rolling her eyes “It’s just Maria’s version of this.” She tugged on her collar to explain.

“I was gonna ask,” Steve said, looking in the rearview mirror “Where’d you get that?”

“Maria’s got some _weird_ friends; she sent me to this guy’s apartment in a really seedy part of New York and he had these; she’d, like, ordered two superhero suits.”

Then, they met with a woman Steve knew; Bucky kind of knew her. She did kick him in the face.

Bucky shifted uncomfortably; Jade was more petite than he was and wasn’t having trouble with the leg room, especially since Bucky was doing his best to not stretch his legs into her area.

“Can you move your seat up?”

“No.”

Jade swiftly looked over out her window, Bucky wondering for a second if she was upset. Then it occurred to him; she was trying not to laugh.

“Here,” she said; laughter evident in her voice as she moved her legs so they were resting on his lap, letting Bucky stretch his legs out across the floor.

“Thanks.” His voice was rather pointed.

Jade had to look out her window again.

 As Steve got their stuff, something unexpected happened.

They _kissed._

Steve turned back to the car after she’d left, three proud faces looking back at him.

After that incident, they’d started on their way again and it had been pretty quiet in the car; planning on what they were going to do didn’t really work since who knew what was going to go down.

“We’ve got awhile still, right?” Jade asked a few hours later, her legs still resting on Bucky’s lap.

“Yeah,” Steve said, sounding a little tired.

“Alright, I’m gonna take a nap.”

Jade rested her head on the window, which lasted all of ten seconds before she lifted her head again.

“I feel like my brain is becoming a smoothie.”

Bucky was grateful that the two men in the front seat didn’t really register her talking, so they didn’t notice her swing her legs around and lean against _him._ For a moment, Bucky tensed, before realizing she was pretty stiff as well; she wasn’t sure if he was okay with her doing this and was willing to move the moment he said something.

Instead of doing that, Bucky lifted his arm and put it over the back of the seats; no way leaning on the metal would be comfortable for her. Jade got comfier after that; leaning against his chest and shutting her eyes.

Bucky could feel her breathing even out after a few minutes; it occurring to him that he could use some sleep as well. He debated it for a moment; his sleep wasn’t peaceful and he wasn’t sure he should sleep while someone was leaning on him.

But, when was the last time he’d had another human being this close to him; _trusting_ him this much? He could _so_ easily kill her right now, but she trusted him enough to sleep against him. It was nice and calming.

When the two men in the front finally noticed the sleeping occupants in the back seat, all Sam could do was sigh.

“I cannot believe two ninety year olds are getting more action today than I have in the past three years.”

.

Explosions.

That was concerning.

The Twins looked at it from the window of the compound; had the government come to lock them up?

Both took steadying breaths; Maria had _promised._ She would’ve warned them if they were coming for them… right?

Vision went to check and it was eerily quiet for a moment before Wanda whipped around; a knife levitating at the intruder’s face.

“I guess I should’ve knocked.”

Barton.

“Oh my god, what are you doing here?” Wanda asked, both of the Twins shocked.

“Disappointing my kids,” Clint said, doing something with arrows, as he was known for doing “Supposed to go water-skiing.”

Clint set something up before grabbing one of each of the Maximoffs’ hands; trying to pull them out the door.

“Clint!”

The three turned to see that Vision had returned.

“You should not be here,” Vision said, his voice slightly threatening.

“Really? I retire for, what, like five minutes and it all goes to shit?” Clint asked.

“Please, consider the consequences of your actions.”

“Okay, they’re considered.”

Then, Clint set something off and Vision was stuck in a field of energy.

“Okay, we gotta go.”

“We can’t,” Wanda protested, both of the Twins retracting their hands as Clint sighed and turned towards them.

“Maria told us to stay,” Pietro said with a proud lift of his chin.

“I did _not_ miss this,” Clint said under his breath “Listen, Maria _sent_ me… Well, technically, Maria told Jade to tell Steve to send me, but the point stands.”

_“Jade?”_ Pietro asked incredulously “Why is Jade there?”

“Listen, kid, it’s been a _long_ past couple of days. Can we have this discussion in the car?”

“No, old man,” Pietro said, annoyed at the way Clint talked to him; he was easily annoyed by Clint “Not until you prove to us you’re telling the truth.”

“Kid-.”

Vision blasted the arrows causing the field to dissipate before he knocked Clint back.

“I knew I should’ve stretched.”

Clint went to punch him, but it went right through him.

Clint was _not_ going to win this fight.

Even though he tried, he could never land a hit on Vision.

As they fought, the Twins exchanged a look, coming to a silent understanding.

Vision grunted as Pietro ran into his back; catching him by surprise and actually hitting him.

Vision sighed as Pietro held his hand out to help Clint up.

“You can’t beat me.”

“We can’t,” Clint agreed, as Pietro smirked.

“But, she can.”

Vision dropped to his knees as Wanda used her powers on him; making him heavier and heavier.

“If-If you two leave… You will always be feared.”

“We don’t need _them,”_ Wanda replied.

Before she sent Vision down through the ground; creating a massive crater.

The three looked down to where she’d pushed Vision.

“Jesus, Wanda, try not to send him to the pits of Hell next time.”

“Shut up, Pietro.”

.

“Have either of you seen Maria? This guy I’m going to pick up; he’s around her age. Maybe another kid will get him to help.”

Rhodey and Natasha looked up at where Tony was standing; all three frowning in slight concern.

“No… maybe someone else did,” Rhodey said, looking at Natasha, who shook her head as her eyes fell to the ground “I’ll go ask around.”

Tony nodded and Rhodey left the room and when Natasha didn’t reply, Tony went to leave.

“She’s not here,” Natasha said suddenly, Tony turning and frowning.

“Did you see her leave?”

“No, no, but… She’s not here,” Natasha said, her voice upset as she stood.

“What makes you say that?”

It was quiet for a moment.

“She was never going to pick you, Tony.”

Tony recoiled, feeling a stab in his heart; the fear he’d buried being brought to the surface by that simple sentence.

“What?”

Natasha lifted her head; her eyes were full of hurt.

“You know it’s true.”

“Guys,” Rhodey said, reentering the room and feeling the tense environment in a second “Um, security picked her on the footage; she left about an hour and half ago. Nobody knows where she was headed.”

Tony looked over with a stricken expression at Natasha, who just looked down at the ground.

“I’m sorry.”


	5. Chapter 4

“More parking garages. Wonderful.”

Jade was apparently grumpy after naps.

“You’re the one who said that we’re a _we,_ ” Steve said, his voice teasing as Jade glared at him.

“I regret everything,” Jade said under her breath, Steve smiling slightly.

Before anyone could say anything else, a white van pulled up.

Out stepped Clint and the Twins.

Instead of listening to Steve’s inevitable thank you to Clint, Jade moved over to where the Twins stood shoulder to shoulder.

“Are you two okay?”

The Twins’ eyes snapped to the girl in front of them; they’d been looking for Maria in the group waiting for them and felt their stomachs twist in disappointment when they realized she wasn’t there. But, Jade being here was a good sign; Clint hadn’t been lying.

”Yes, we’re fine,” Pietro said, Jade smiling and nodding.

“She’s on her way,” she said, the Twins smiling slightly at how Jade had known what they’d been looking for.

“How about our other recruit?”

Jade looked over, actually interested in this.

“He’s rearing to go; I’d put a little coffee in him, but he should be good.”

Clint threw open the van door to reveal a man who jerked awake at the sound; he was in his forties, but he was boyishly cute. Jade frowned; this guy seemed familiar.

“What time zone is this?” He said groggily as he got out of the van.

“Go on,” Clint muttered as the guy’s eyes zeroed in on Steve.

“Captain America!” He said while grabbing Steve’s hand to shake.

Jade sneakily covered her mouth; she might like this guy.

“Mr. Lang.”

Lang; that named sounded familiar.

“It’s an honor!” Lang said excitedly, still shaking Steve’s hand “I’m shaking your hand too long. Wow. This is awesome!”

Then he turned back towards the Twins and Jade.

“Captain America!” Then he noticed who he was talking too “I know you guys, too! You’re both great!”

It took every bit of self-control Jade had not to laugh; she looked straight forward because she knew the exact faces the Twins were making.

Then he turned back to Steve and Jade had to actually shove her face into Pietro’s arm, who was also having trouble keeping a straight face.

He actually squeezed Steve’s pecks.

Jade was fairly certain she and this guy were the same person.

“Geez,” he said quietly before turning to Sam “Hey, man.”

“What’s up, Tic Tac?” Sam asked.

“Uh, good to see you. Look, what happened last time…”

“It was a great audition, but it’ll never happen again,” Sam said.

Jade leaned towards the Twins slightly, her eyes questioning.

“They fought. Sam lost,” Pietro explained quietly.

“He’s my favorite person now,” Jade replied, Wanda muttering under her breath.

“Not Barnes?”

Pietro looked over at his sister with a frown, the younger twin shaking her head and giving him a look that meant she’d tell him later.

“We’re outside the law on this one. If you come with us you’re a wanted man,” Steve warned.

“Yeah well, what else is new?”

Jade frowned; okay, she’d met this guy or something.

Steve was distracted by something, Jade catching Lang’s attention; shaking his hand.

“Jade Moore,” she said, Lang smiling nicely.

“Scott Lang.”

_Scott Lang!_

“You’re the guy behind the Visacorp break in!” Jade said, smiling as Scott looked pleasantly surprised that she knew who he was “You’re, like, a _legend_ at MIT.”

“You go to MIT?” Scott asked, obviously excited.

“Well, I did; don’t think they’re going to welcome me back after this,” Jade said with an easy going shrug.

“Yeah, defying world government does that,” Scott agreed “What was your major?”

“Mechanical Engineering.”

“Electrical!” Scott said, pointing to himself with his thumb, Jade grinning as well.

“Uh, real quick; that guy,” Scott said, slightly jerking his head back “T-That’s the Winter Soldier, right?”

“Yeah, that’s Bucky,” Jade said, sending a smile back at Bucky, who returned it with a slight smile of his own.

“And his arm…?” Scott said, gesturing to his left arm and giving Jade a look.

“You don’t understand the self-restraint I’ve been demonstrating in the past 24 hours.”

Before Scott could say anything, he was distracted by a motorcycle pulling up to the group and the rider dismounting.

Scott opened his mouth to ask, but was cut off by the rider taking off her helmet and the Twins both rushing forward to practically tackle her.

Scott looked over at Jade, who sighed but smiled good-naturedly.

“Yeah, they’re always like that.”

.

“We’re here.”

Both the Twins sighed as Maria relaxed into them; they were together again. But then they both winced at her emotions; they could always feel each other’s emotions, but it was stronger when they were close. Maria’s heart was in turmoil.

Wanda gave a shaky sigh; not only could she feel her Love’s emotions, but she could also see her thoughts. They pulled apart and Wanda saw the worst of it.

“No, no, no,” Wanda said, cupping Maria’s cheeks; her heart hurting as she looked at Maria’s teary eyes “Don’t think those things.”

“It’s _true_ ,” Maria replied, Wanda’s jaw clenching.

“Maria Maximoff, I will smack you.”

Pietro’s eyebrows rose at Wanda’s tone.

“Would either of you like to bring me into the loop?”

Both women were staring at each other; Maria looking utterly defeated while Wanda looked extremely concerned with a pinch of annoyance.

“She’s hating herself.”

Pietro frowned before surging forward and pulling Maria to his chest.

“No, no, no,” Pietro said, repeating his sister “None of that from my Pretty Girl.”

Instead of saying anything, Maria just laid her head down on Pietro’s chest; shutting her eyes tight as she just focused on the feeling of being with her soulmates and not on her own self-hatred.

“Can we make you feel better?” Wanda asked, Maria sighing and looking over at her.

“We don’t have the time.”

“There’s always time for kisses,” Pietro protested, Maria’s lip twitching.

“Always with the kisses,” Maria said with a small sigh, but obviously loving it.

“Well, if we had more time, I’d make it so Clint would never feel comfortable in that van again,” Pietro said, Maria smiled slightly, which made the Twins smile.

“Okay… one kiss each,” Maria said, the Twins smiling “Come down here, Pie.”

Pietro leaned down and gently kissed Maria; the white haired man feeling contentment that was only increased by the fact Maria wasn’t feeling completely awful in that moment.

They pulled apart and Pietro rested his forehead against hers.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Pietro then released Maria, the young woman turning to her other soulmate; Wanda pulling her into a warm embrace before they kissed. Maria relaxed as Wanda’s powers engulfed them; they always made her feel safe and washed away any of her worries for a short moment. Then their kiss broke, and all of her problems came back; Maria sighing slightly as Wanda frowned.

“I adore you,” Wanda murmured, Maria smiling slightly; Wanda would occasionally say that instead of love to let her know her feelings weren’t exactly like her brother’s, but equally as strong.

“I adore you too.”

It was quiet for a moment.

“Ready?” Wanda asked gently, Maria sighing.

“No.”

The triad headed back to the group, but stopped short when Maria was pulled into a tight hug by Jade.

“Thank you,” Maria murmured.

“We both knew this was going to happen,” Jade replied gently, Maria closing her eyes and burying her face in her friend’s shoulder. They broke apart after a moment; Jade sliding her backpack off of her arm and handing it to Maria.

After one last smile, Maria moved forward to where the others were watching.

Steve stepped forward; the group completely silent as the pair just looked into each other’s eyes. Whatever Steve saw in Maria’s confirmed her loyalties, because when he spoke, he didn’t question them.

“I don’t know what to say,” he admitted “Thank you isn’t fitting.”

“Then don’t say anything,” Maria replied “Prove that I made the right choice.”

Steve nodded before moving out of her way.

“Hey, Supergirl,” Sam said, pulling Maria into a hug as the young woman smiled softly.

“Hi, Robin.”

Once they pulled apart, Clint moved over to her and gave Maria a supportive squeeze on the shoulder.

“This is Scott Lang,” Clint introduced, Scott shaking her hand but keeping his fanboying to a minimum; he could read context clues, alright? He could tell this was a sensitive situation.

Despite this, Maria smiled her first genuine smile since she was hugging the Twins.

“You’re the guy that kicked Sam’s ass.”

Behind her, Sam sighed in annoyance.

“Um, well, I wouldn’t say I _kicked his ass…”_ Scott said awkwardly, obviously trying to not piss off Sam.

“Own up to it,” Maria said, smiling “That’s pretty damn impressive.”

“Thanks,” Scott said; slightly shocked because _Maria Stark_ just said he was impressive.

“Are you up to date on what’s going on?” Steve asked.

“Yeah; we need a Quinjet,” Maria said, Steve nodding.

“Suit up.”

.

Maria was on one side of the van; giving her a bit of privacy as she stripped off her pants suit.

She’d already changed her pants and taken off her top when she felt fingers trail down her spine, making her smile; she knew who those belonged to.

“Pie…” Maria said quietly, turning around without a hint of embarrassment.

Pietro smiled slightly; his focus on her chest. Not on her breasts, though; on what hung in the center.

“You still wear it,” he said, pleased as he gently played with the pendant she wore.

“Of course; you gave it to me.”

Pietro smiled before he let go of the necklace, letting it return to its resting place on the center of her chest. He then reached down and pulled the shirt she had out of her hand; studying it for a moment.

“This is armor, yes? It will protect you?”

Maria smiled slightly.

“Yes, Pietro; it’s stronger than it looks.”

Maria leaned and grabbed the under shirt and sports bra out of the bag; remembering she needed to put those on first. Only, as soon as she grabbed them, they were taken out of her hands.

“Pietro, I need to put my clothes on,” Maria said, slightly amused.

Pietro smiled before reaching out and putting the sports bra on Maria, soon followed by the undershirt and then the actual armor.

“This jacket too?” Pietro asked, having pulled it out of the bag.

“Yes,” Maria said quietly before Pietro reached and pulled it onto her; zipping it up about halfway.

“You look good,” Pietro said, running his eyes over her before looking her in the eye and smiling wickedly “Very sexy.”

Maria giggled slightly, reaching out to gently push Pietro.

It was quiet for a moment; both of them remembering why they were here.

“You don’t have to fight,” Pietro said softly, taking Maria’s hand in his and holding it to his chest “No one would blame you… You could find a safe place and Wanda and I would come to you after.”

“When has that ever worked, Pie?” Maria asked gently, Pietro smiling bitterly.

“I keep hoping each time that it will finally be the time you say yes.”

It was quiet for a moment as the two stood together.

“Pietro, after this…” Maria trailed off and Pietro looked at her curiously.

“Yes, Pretty Girl?”

“If… If we don’t get captured and locked up… And if we can find a stable place to hide…”

It was quiet, Pietro cursing that he didn’t have Wanda’s power; he often wished he could see what Maria thought, if only to spare her from trying to figure out how to say it.

“Do you remember that night we spent in South Korea?”

That question came out of nowhere.

“Yes, of course,” Pietro replied “We slept on a rooftop.”

“Do you… Do you remember what I asked you?” Maria asked, Pietro wondering why she was playing twenty questions right now.

“You asked what I wanted from you; the future I saw for us.”

“Do you remember your answer?”

“I wanted a house for us,” Pietro said, not mentioning how he’d wanted it to be in Sokovia.

“What was the other thing, Pie?” Maria asked gently.

_Oh._

Pietro’s eyes widened.

“Draga, you’re only eighteen,” he protested, Maria smiling slightly.

“Do you think I can’t handle it?”

“No, no, that’s not what I meant,” Pietro said, shaking his head “You’re very young; you haven’t had much time to experience life.”

“Pie, this isn’t something sudden,” Maria said, Pietro’s eyebrows raising slightly “I’ve been thinking about this for months. I just didn’t think it was feasible with all of the Avengers things… But, if we’re hidden… if we only come in for the big things…”

Pietro still held Maria’s hand, so Maria gently pulled his hand until it was resting on her stomach.

It was silent for a moment until Pietro’s hand slowly slipped from her stomach and wrapped around her to pull her close; the speedster claiming Maria’s lips.

“Maria,” he said lowly in her ear, making her shiver “If we had more time, I’d get you pregnant right now.”

Maria sighed slightly as Pietro kissed her again; the pair kissing passionately for a moment.

“Hey, Speedy! No screwing Maria!” Clint called from a little bit away, Pietro pulling back and growling slightly.

“I’ll do as I please, Old Man!”

Maria giggled softly; slipping out of Pietro’s arms even though it made him pout.

“Sorry, but he’s right.”

“I doubt Barton has been right about anything in his entire life,” Pietro muttered, Maria actually laughing at that one.

“You need to go get dressed,” she reminded him, Pietro sighing before turning to walk off.

Maria then heard a smacking sound and Clint give a yelp.

.

Not thirty seconds after Pietro walked off to change, Wanda joined her.

“You look good,” Maria said as she pulled on fingerless gloves; admiring Wanda’s outfit.

“Thank you, My Love,” Wanda said softly “Would you like to wear your hair up?”

Maria took notice of the ponytail in Wanda’s hand and smiled.

“Yes.”

“Come.”

Wanda led her to the back of the van, having her sit in it so she was short enough for Wanda to do her hair properly. When Maria used to do her own hair for a fight, she’d do it in a ponytail or maybe a braid, but now that it’d become the norm for Wanda to do it, it would usually be in a milkmaid braid. Wanda had explained that it was the best way to keep her hair out of her face and to keep people from pulling it.

As Wanda began to work, Maria felt herself relax; it was a good pre-fight calmer, actually. Wanda doing her hair always cleared away her anxiety.

“You want children.”

It wasn’t a question and Maria knew better than to ask Wanda how she knew.

“Yes.”

It was quiet for a few more moments.

“They would be yours too, you know,” Maria murmured.

“I would be the aunt, My Love.”

Even though Wanda was still braiding her hair, Maria whipped her head around to look her in the eye.

“No, they would be yours.”

“Maria…” Wanda started.

“No, you would be their mother too.”

“Maria, in no circumstance would I be the mother of Pietro’s children,” Wanda said, Maria’s face getting sour.

“Wanda, do you want a surrogate?” Maria asked, this time Wanda’s face was the one to go sour. The older woman reached out and moved Maria’s head so she was looking forward again; it wasn’t harsh, just commanding.

It was quiet for a long moment; Wanda continuing to do Maria’s hair as Maria stewed in her aggravation.

“I can get you pregnant.”

This time, Wanda expected Maria’s reaction, and she had a hand on either side of her head to prevent her from snapping it around.

“ _What?”_

Once Wanda was certain Maria wasn’t going to move her head; she returned to fixing her hair.

“I can get you pregnant,” she repeated.

“ _How?”_

It was quiet for a moment, Maria realizing that she was trying to figure out how to explain.

“My abilities… Sometimes it is if they have a mind of their own. All they want to do is _destroy;_ to topple buildings and raze civilizations… But, when I’m with you, I don’t feel that… When we touch; they come out, but they don’t harm you… I didn’t understand what I was feeling when they released at those times, but I know now…”

Wanda had finished her hair and the dark haired Sokovian gently slipped her hand so it was resting on Maria’s stomach.

“They want to _create,_ Maria… They want to create life... And they want to create it inside of you.”

It was quiet for a moment; Maria processing what Wanda had just said.

Maria finally turned her head towards her soulmate; who was leaning close to her. Wanda was the one to move forward first, gently kissing Maria. The two women enjoyed the feeling of being close and being loved. They pulled away after a moment, but stayed close.

“Once you’ve carried Pietro’s,” Wanda whispered, gently rubbing Maria’s stomach “Then I will give you mine.”

“Why wait?” Maria asked gently “Can’t they share?”

Wanda raised an eyebrow.

“That’s a hard path, My Love; riskier and more painful.”

Maria reached up to gently stroke Wanda’s cheek.

“But I have you watching over me.”

Wanda smiled in pleasure at what Maria had said.

“If that is what you want, My Love; then it’s yours.”

Maria smiled as well before leaning to bury her face in Wanda’s neck; the older woman smiling in amusement at how she curled into her.

“Hey, if I can’t have Maria, neither can you!”

Wanda sighed in annoyance as Maria giggled at Pietro’s outburst.

“Son,” Steve said in his dad voice “If that’s what you think having sex is, we need to have a talk.”

A red Pietro glared as the entire team laughed; Wanda and Maria completely _cackling_.

“Shut up, Steve.”


	6. Chapter 5

_“So, do you prefer the Lavender and Sage or the Peach and Sage?”_

_Tony shuddered as he passed the living room; wedding planning had begun and he dreaded the simple thought of having to listen to a wedding planner go on and on about flowers._

_“Dad, what do you think?”_

_Tony sighed; he’d been caught._

_He turned towards his eldest daughter and looked down at the pictures in her hands._

_“That one,” he said, picking at random._

_“That’s funny; same one Maria said,” Theresa said with a smile._

_Tony looked past Theresa as she returned to her seat and at his youngest daughter; Maria sending him a look as she slumped in her spot next to Pepper._

_“Hey, Maria,” Tony said “I wanna show you something.”_

_Maria slid off the couch and walked over to her father, who led her into the foyer._

_“You like listening to your sister pick colors?”_

_Maria shook her head, Tony cracking a smile at that._

_“You wanna get out of here?”_

_Maria nodded this time with a small smile._

_“C’mon.”_

_They quietly exited the house and got into the Audi before immediately speeding off; the wheels screeching slightly as they did._

_“Freedom!” Tony yelled, Maria giggling._

_“I don’t like the planner,” Maria announced, Tony raising an eyebrow and looking over at her; she was technically not supposed to sit in the passenger seat, but Tony didn’t really care. ._

_“And why’s that?”_

_“She told me that she hoped that one day she could plan a wedding for me and one of my soulmates.”_

_“Ooooh,” Tony said, making a face as he immediately saw the problem with that “What’d you say?”_

_“I just smiled and nodded,” Maria said before looking over at her Dad “Pepper was there.”_

_“What did you want to say?”_

_“I wanted to tell her to shove her binder up her ass.”_

_Tony was not expecting his eight year old daughter to say that; he had to pull over so he could laugh._

_After he’d finished laughing and managed to calm down enough to speak._

_“Where-Where you wanna go, Munchkin?”_

_Maria frowned as she thought about it._

_“Toys R Us.”_

_Tony chuckled softly._

_“I could build you state of the art toys,” he muttered before speaking up “Alright, Toys R Us it is.”_

_After about an hour at Toys R Us, they then headed over to a military base not far from them._

_“I’m always surprised by your impulse control.”_

_Maria looked over with a frown, obviously not understanding what that meant._

_“That you don’t get everything even though you could,” Tony explained, Maria nodding “I mean, you only got two things. When I was your age I would’ve gotten everything.”_

_Maria shrugged._

_“I don’t need everything.”_

_Tony sighed dramatically, Maria giggling slightly._

_“The day has come; my youngest daughter is more mature than me!”_

_Before Maria could reply, the person the pair had been waiting for arrived._

_“Tony, what’re you doing here?” Rhodey demanded._

_“Hiding from wedding planning,” Tony replied “About to get dinner actually; you coming?”_

_Rhodey sighed a long suffering sigh; used to his friends antics._

_“Alright.”_

_Tony grinned and the three headed to the car, Rhodey actually smiling._

_“Hey, Maria.”_

_“Hi, Rhodey.”_

_“Whatchya got?” He asked, referring to the toys in her hands._

_“Dad took me to Toys R Us,” Maria said with a smile, passing the action figures to Rhodey._

_“Wow,” Rhodey said, looking over them “The Flash and Zatanna, huh?”_

_“Yeah!” Maria said, welcoming back the toys once she was sat in the car._

_“That’s all you got?” Rhodey asked incredulously._

_“That’s all she wanted,” Tony said, shrugging._

_“They’re cool,” Maria defended “Wish they’d give her pants, though.”_

_“Yeah, they usually don’t give the girls pants,” Rhodey agreed as Tony began to drive._

_“That’s dumb,” Maria said, Rhodey smiling slightly._

_“Yeah, it is.”_

_“When I’m a superhero.” Rhodey sent Tony an amused look, the millionaire just smiling indulgently and shrugging “I’m gonna have pants. And I’m gonna wear my hair up.”_

_“Very practical,” Rhodey praised, Maria smiling “What’re we getting, anyway?”_

_“Pizza!” Maria announced, Tony smirking._

_“Pizza it is.”_

_They headed to a pizza place, where Maria got an entire pepperoni pizza to herself (she didn’t finish it, of course). The group chatted amicably, Rhodey telling them stories about the annoying people he had to deal with on a daily bases._

_Once they’d finished, they’d dropped off Rhodey at his home and Tony and Maria had gotten ice cream before heading home to a displeased Pepper and Theresa. After Maria was sent to bed and Tony was chewed out, he headed up to her room, where she was reading on her Stark tablet._

_“What’re you reading?” Tony asked, Maria looking up in surprise._

_“Jarvis found comics about those two,” she said, gesturing to the action figures on her nightstand._

_“Are they good?” Tony asked, sitting on the side of her bed._

_“Mhm; they’re really cool.”_

_It was quiet for a few moments._

_“Have a good day?”_

_“Yeah,” Maria said, she wasn’t boisterous about it, but Tony knew she did._

_“Dad?” Maria asked, putting down the tablet._

_“Yeah?” Tony asked._

_“How come we don’t do stuff like that more?”_

_Tony sighed; yeah, Tony, why didn’t you spend more time with your baby daughter?_

_“We will from now on, okay?” Tony asked, Maria smiling._

_“Okay.”_

_Tony looked down at his watch._

_“Jesus, it’s eleven; time for you to sleep,” Tony said, Maria sighing and putting away the tablet._

_“Alright, good night.”_

_“Good night,” Tony said turning off her lamp and heading to the door._

_“Dad?”_

_He stopped in the doorway._

_“Yeah?”_

_“I love you.”_

_“I love you too, Munchkin.”_

.

“Why?”

Rhodey looked over at his friend with concerned eyes; they were all sitting around a conference table, waiting for the go ahead to go into Germany.

“Tony…”

“No, _why_ would she do this?” Tony asked, getting slightly more aggressive “I’m her father for god’s sake.”

“Maybe she truly believes in what she’s doing is right,” Natasha offered.

“Why, though; this protects people,” Tony pointed out “Remember when those people died in Quito? She locked herself in her room for a week.”

It was quiet for a moment; Natasha still standing by her belief while the two men contemplated any other possibility.

“Tony, I hate to even bring this up…”

Tony and Natasha looked over at a hesitant Rhodey.

“But… who has the most sway over Maria?”

The Maximoffs.

Of fucking course.

Who did she look to for guidance before Ultron? Her father. Who did she look to now? The Maximoffs.

Who did she run to when she was scared before Ultron? Her father. Who did she run to now? The Maximoffs.

That aforementioned locking herself in her room; who’d convinced her to come out even though he himself asked her multiple times? The Maximoffs.

He hadn’t trusted the Maximoffs after Ultron, but Maria had looked so in love and Steve had vouched for them, so he’d let it slide. He thought that maybe everything would be alright now.

He should’ve known the Maximoffs would turn her against him; they’d always hated him. Why would that have stopped now?

Just because they were on the same team doesn’t mean they liked him; just because they were screwing his daughter didn’t mean they’re resentment had vanished.

Tony shuddered slightly; realizing that they might not have just used words to make her betray him.

Tony had a very clear memory of walking in on Wanda using her powers on Maria. He’d nearly killed her when he saw that red light flowing into his daughters head; making her _eyes_ glow red. Wanda had stopped immediately and Maria had brushed off all his concerns. _“She was just showing me her old home,”_ she’d said with a small wave of her hand.

But, if Maria was so trusting; Wanda could put anything she’d like in her head. Wanda had already put Sokovian into it, who’s to say she hadn’t put in some aversion towards him?

He was going to get her out of there, he decided; he was going to get the Maximoff’s out of her head.

.

“Maria will go with us, yes?” Pietro asked, Maria sighing and Wanda frowning.

They were deciding on the groups now; who’d go with who and to where.

Jade would go with Sam and Bucky through the terminal.

Pietro, Wanda, and Clint would go through the parking deck.

But, Maria…

“You think if you go with Steve; if you encounter him head on…” Wanda said slowly.

“He won’t want to hurt me,” Maria replied “It’ll throw him off.”

“But, won’t it throw you off?” Sam asked, Maria looking over at him.

“No.”

Once everything had been finalized the Twins and Clint left for their spot, the Twins giving Maria kisses as a goodbye.

“Please be safe,” Pietro muttered into her hair as they both held her close.

“So long as you two are,” Maria replied, the Twins smiling gently before Wanda leaned in to capture her lips one last time. Once Wanda and Maria had pulled apart, Pietro kissed her gently.

“We love you,” Wanda reminded her, Maria smiling as she broke away from Pietro.

“I love you both too.”

They both headed off with Clint; giving each other one last lingering look.

Then Jade, Bucky, and Sam left.

“Don’t expect me to kiss you,” Jade said, Maria snorting.

“You would be so lucky.”

Finally, all that was left was Steve, Scott (who was small), and Maria.

“You see that helicopter?” Steve asked Maria, who was looking out from their spot under the cover of the parking garage.

“We won’t make it,” Maria replied.

“No, but it’s as good a place as any,” Steve said, Maria smiling.

It was quiet for a moment.

“Are you ready?” Steve asked, not gently but truly having concern.

Maria looked over at Steve for a second.

“Yes.”

Steve studied her for a second; she was telling the truth.

Steve nodded before they turned back to look out at the open.

And began to run.

.

Of course, Maria had been right; they made it a few feet before someone shot something at the helicopter, causing it to short out. They stopped and a few feet in front of them landed Iron Man and War Machine.

“Wow it’s so weird how you run into people at the airport, don’t you think that’s weird?” Tony said, removing his helmet, while staunchly not looking at Maria.

“Definitely weird,” Rhodey agreed.

“Hear me out, Tony; that doctor, psychiatrist, is behind all of this,” Steve said, Maria keeping her mouth shut for now.

To their right, T’Challa appeared in his Black Panther suit.

“Captain, Stark,” He greeted.

“Your Highness,” Steve replied, Maria nodding at him.

“Anyway, Ross gave me thirty-six hours to bring you in; that was twenty-four hours. That is, to bring you, Sam, and Barnes in; he doesn’t know about the rest. He doesn’t have to.”

Tony finally looked over at her, Maria feeling her heart ache painfully as she finally saw her father’s distress. He hadn’t rested in the past twenty-four hours and Maria doubted he’d done anything more than look for them and stew in his own pain. She’d caused that pain, Maria realized; this was her fault.

_No, it’s not; he was the one who made the wrong choice, not you. He’s the one who wants to lock away an innocent man because of misguided guilt, not you._

With that in mind, Maria was able to speak with conviction.

“You’re after the wrong guy.”

Tony’s hurt turned to anger; goddamn Rogers did this.

Well, him and the Maximoffs.

“Give me a break; just because Steve sings the chorus of Bucky doesn’t mean he’s right,” Tony said “His judgment is askew.”

“I know,” Maria replied, Steve sending her a side eye “That’s why I only trust my own.”

“Should you?” Tony asked, Maria frowning “Are you always sure it’s your own?”

“Tony, what’re you talking about?” Steve asked.

“Because out of _all_ of us, who’s in the presence of the person who can make us think things the most?” Tony asked, Maria’s jaw clenching but she knew she needed to be calm.

“I understand your upset, but don’t throw around blame when the only person who told me what to do was _you.”_  

Tony winced and sent Maria a look.

“Steve’s old war buddy killed five innocent people yesterday. HYDRA and hurting innocent people; sound familiar to you?”

“And there are five more super soldiers just like Bucky,” Steve cut in before Maria could potentially murder her own father “I can’t let the doctor find them first, Tony; I can’t.”

“Steve…”

Maria and Steve looked behind them at where Natasha stood; her eyes pleading.

“You know what’s about to happen; do you really want to punch your way out of this one?”

Steve and Maria turned back to Tony, both of their eyes filled with determination.

“Alright, I’ve run out of patience; Underoos!”

Steve’s shield was taken out of his hands and both of their hands were tied together by some white stuff.

On one of the trucks behind Tony balanced a guy in red spandex holding the shield.

Maria recognized him from some footage around New York.

Spider-Man.

“Nice job, Kid,” Tony said, Maria raising an eyebrow.

“Thanks, well I could’ve stuck the landing a little better, it’s just; new suit. It’s nothing, Mr. Stark, it’s perfect; thank you.”

Steve and Maria exchanged a side eye; hold old was this kid?

“Yeah, we really don’t need to start a conversation.”

“Okay,” he said quieter before speaking up again “Cap-Captain.”

He saluted Steve.

Maria was about to face her father in a fight. A fight that also pitted her against her uncle figure and the woman she’d become close friends with. Her choice had torn her heart apart and her life would never be the same after this; her family would never be together again.

But, _damn_ if that wasn’t funny.

“Big fan,” Spidey said “Y-You too; I-I liked your GQ thing, I mean, uh…”

That got a snort.

Her GQ thing was the first photo-shoot she’d done after turning eighteen; let’s just say she’d exercised her new freedom.

“Yeah, we’ll talk later,” Tony cut in.

“Hey everyone,” he said awkwardly before shutting up.

“You’ve been busy,” Steve said, seeming to share Maria’s amusement.

“And you’ve been a complete idiot; dragging in Clint, rescuing the Twins from a place they were content to stay at. A place that made sure they didn’t hurt anyone!”

Maria’s jaw clenched at that; Steve opting to keep his mouth shut and let the dynamite go off without interference.

“The only reason they didn’t leave was because I _asked_ them not to,” Maria spat out “And they _hated_ it.”

“They wouldn’t have cared if you’d just gone back to the base like you should’ve; they just wanted to be together. That’s what they _always_ want. But guess what? I’m not so sure that after this they’re going to get that!”

Maria felt Steve tense beside her; he didn’t like that threat either.

“I don’t care what you think they did,” Maria replied “And your threats don’t scare me; I’ve never asked for your _guarantee_ that we’d be together. I don’t _need_ your approval.”

“Besides, she has mine,” Steve said, Maria simmering down slightly; Steve was reminding her he was in her corner.

“I’m trying to keep-!” Tony took a breath; he was not happy with Steve “I’m trying to keep you from tearing Avengers apart… From tearing our _family_ apart.”

It was quiet for a moment.

“Steve doesn’t have to,” Maria spoke “You already did.”

It was dead silent for a moment; Tony taking a step back as the words cut into him.

“Alright, I’m done,” Tony said his voice full of anger “You’re going to turn Barnes over and you’re going to come with us; because it’s _us…_ Because it’s me.”

It was quiet for a moment, before in their earpieces.

“We found it,” Sam spoke “The Quinjet’s in hanger five, north runway.”

Steve held his arms up; Clint shooting through it and breaking it, while Maria just snapped it off her wrists.

“Oh my god, did you see that? She just pulled it apart like it was nothing!” Spider-Man loudly said, Maria’s lip twitching as Steve spoke into the coms.

“Alright, Lang.”

“Hey, guys. Something-.”

Scott grew and kicked Spider-Man; taking the shield and landing by Steve and Maria.

“What-What the hell was that?” Rhodey stuttered.

“I believe this is yours, Captain America,” Scott said, handing the shield to him.

“Ah, great,” Tony muttered, using his partial x-ray to see the others running around “Alright, there’s three on the parking deck; two of them are the Maximoffs. I’m gonna grab ‘em.”

“I got two on the terminal; Wilson and Barnes.”

“Barnes is mine!” T’Challa said, running to go get him, but Steve first hit War Machine to distract him before throwing the shield and hitting T’Challa. He then threw him away from following after Bucky.

Maria was heading towards Rhodey when she felt something clamp down on her right wrist. She looked and sighed; it was in the Inhuman suppressor Tony had created. It was originally meant to be used against any rogue in Inhumans they encountered; Maria never really thought it’d be used on her.

“Really, Nat?” Maria asked, looking over “Poor form.”

“I gotta level the playing field somehow,” Natasha said, with a ghost of a smirk.

“Scott, take Rhodes,” Maria said into the com.

“Aye-Aye,” Scott said.

“Show me what you got,” Natasha said, Maria smirking.

The two women began moving towards each other.

“You’d be surprised.”

.

“What the hell is that?”

Jade silently agreed with Bucky’s words, she couldn’t vocally agree though; she was not on par with their running skills and she could barely breathe.

“Everyone’s got a gimmick now,” Sam replied.

The guy in spandex broke through the glass; kicking Sam across the room. Jade being slightly slower actually helped; she didn’t get hit or anything.

Bucky went to punch him with his metal arm, but he _caught_ it.

The guy slowly pulled Bucky’s arm down; Bucky’s eyes wide.

“You have a metal arm? That is awesome, dude!”

Sam flew in and grabbed the kid; Bucky grabbing Jade’s arm and pulling her along with him.

This was bad; Maria had advised if they got in a fight for her to hang back since Bucky and Sam could handle it.

But, they weren’t handling it.

Jade then noticed the eyes on the suit change; it wasn’t stagnant.

Which meant it was a machine, which meant Tony made it for him.

Which meant…

Bucky pulled her against a pillar; grabbing a piece of debris from Sam and the guy’s fight; waiting for the guy to stay still. Jade pulled a small disk out of her pocket; fumbling around with the wires.

“What’re you doing?” Bucky asked.

“Nothing; focus,” Jade replied, Bucky taking her word and looking before chucking the piece of metal at the guy.

“Hey, buddy, I think you lost this!”

He threw the metal back, Bucky covering Jade as the pillar was smashed.

They headed to where Sam was stuck to a railing.

“Those things carbon fiber?” The guy asked.

“Is this stuff coming out of you?” Sam replied.

“That would explain the rigidity-flexibility ratio, which, gotta say, that’s awesome.”

Science nerd, Jade frowned; they might’ve been friends.

“I don’t know if you’ve ever been in a fight before, but there’s usually not this much talking,” Sam quipped.

“Alright, sorry, my bad,” the guy said before he swung to kick Sam, only for Bucky to jump in front.

Both men landed on the lower level of the building; the guy sticking their hands down.

“Guys, look, I’d love to keep this up, but I’ve only got one job here today and I gotta impress Mr. Stark.”

“Hey!”

The guy looked over at where Jade was standing.

“Mr. Stark made that suit, right?”

“Yeah, who-?”

“Protein-scale nano-technology, right?” Jade asked “And some high performance plastic?”

“Yeah!” He said, actually seeming excited she could tell.

“To bad Mr. Stark didn’t realize it wasn’t finished.”

Jade through a disk at him; which he caught, but immediately the eye part started malfunctioning.

“What-what!”

He fell backwards off of the podium he’d been on; Jade running forward to kick him in the face. Then, Redwing appeared and flew him out the window.

Jade ran over to where the two men had fallen.

“Protein-scale nano technology?” Bucky asked sarcastically.

“How could you _possibly_ tell?” Sam agreed.

“Because I was the one who designed that material, Assholes.”

.

Clint and the Maximoffs were running, well, Pietro wasn’t _really_ running.

Then, to their sides, explosions went off; Stark.

“Guys, I think you hurt Visions feelings.”

“You locked us away, Mr. Stark,” Pietro spat, Tony’s jaw clenching; Pietro hadn’t called him Mr. Stark since the Ultron days.

“Yeah, well; you two turned my daughter against me so forgive me if I’m not sorry.”

“Jesus, Tony; you _that_ in denial?” Clint asked.

“Clearly retirement doesn't suit you. Get tired of playing golf?” Tony asked.

“Well, I played 18, I shot 18; just can’t seem to miss,” Clint said, firing an arrow, but missing.

“First time for everything.”

“Made you look.”

Wanda pulled cars out of the parking garage; completely burying Tony with them.

Once it was done, Pietro sent his sister a sly smile, which she returned.

They’d finally got their revenge.

.

“Where’d you get that one?” Natasha asked, wiping a bit of blood off of her mouth.

The two women stood opposite of each other; both of them having gotten hits in.

“I have a life outside of the Avengers, you know,” Maria said.

“A life that includes you learning martial arts tricks?”

“Sometimes.”

They began to fight again until Natasha kicked her a little bit away; near Steve as Scott ran up.

“Hey, Cap; heads up!” Scott said, passing him a small semi “Throw it at this. Now!”

Scott threw the disk and Steve did as he said; the semi growing into a full sized one and exploding.

“Oh, man, I thought it was a water truck.”

.

The groups began to meet up again; all running towards the same goal.

But then, they had to stop as Vision drew a literal line in the ground with the stone.

“Captain Rogers,” Vision said “I know you believe what you’re doing is right. But, for the collective good, you must surrender now.”

The two factions faced each other; silent as they considered the fact they may have to fight their family.

But, what _Tony_ was focusing on wasn’t that, it was the girl standing beside Barnes.

.

_They were sat in a triangle, a few feet apart as they looked through the discombobulated machinery. Of course, it was only confusing to those who didn’t understand, and he was teaching them about every piece._

_“Whoa.”_

_Jade held the helmet in her hands; looking it in the eyes with an amazed expression._

_“Here,” Tony said, taking it from her and putting it on her._

_“Welcome, Jade Moore.”_

_“Wow.”_

_Tony chuckled and allowed her to mess around for a minute as Maria screwed around on her Stark phone; she’d already played with the suit to her heart’s content. Tony had a suspicion that JARVIS liked it when she was in there more than he liked him._

_Jade took off the helmet and looked over at Tony._

_“How does it work?”_

_Tony smiled slightly._

_“That’s complicated, Kid; lots of math and science.”_

_“I like math and science,” Jade protested._

_“She’s at the top of our class,” Maria said, Tony didn’t even think she was listening, but now he frowned._

_“I thought you were.”_

_“English and Social Studies,” Maria replied “I’m second in Math and Science.”_

_“Huh,” Tony said, before turning to Jade “Sure you want me to explain?”_

_“Yes!”_

_._

Maria had pulled Jade into this.

Tony was certain that the Maximoffs’ were using her, now; Maria would never pull a helpless citizen into a fight.

He needed to get her away from them.

.

“What do we do, Cap?” Sam asked.

Steve looked over his right shoulder; at the youngest Avenger.

Maria nodded.

He turned back and took a deep breath.

“We fight.”


	7. Chapter 6

“They’re not stopping!”

“Neither are we!”

.

When Wanda saw what was on Maria’s wrist, she’d easily used her powers to remove it from her.

Now that Maria had her abilities again, she headed to the person Jade had told her was a threat; Spider-Man.

“Steve!”

Steve saw what Maria wanted and acquiesced; throwing his shield and breaking Spider-Man’s web. The teen flew off and fell right into Maria’s fist. He rolled a little bit away after she’d hit him.

“Aw, man; that hurt a _lot,”_ he said while getting up.

“We are in a fight,” Maria replied.

Spider-Man suddenly reached out and shot his webs on Maria’s leg; pulling her to him and kicking her in the face. Maria went flying back and hit something, grunting as she landed; after a second she stood back up.

“Wow, most people are out after that one!” Spider-Man said.

“I know; I’m a modern marvel,” Maria said sarcastically; moving to go pick up Cap’s shield, if only to throw it back to him.

Before she could reach it; Spidey webbed both of her hands and started trying to pull her back. But, she managed to grab the webs herself and throw him across.

“How old are you?” She asked, throwing Steve his shield back.

“I-I don’t think I should tell you,” Spider-Man said as he stood.

“Good idea.”

Spider-Man webbed her stomach and pulled her to him, finally managing to get another punch in, but she did grab him with her legs and throw him away.

“I-I’m sorry, I know we’re fighting, but I got a question,” Spider-Man said, moving up to on top of a jet bridge and pausing.

“Shoot,” Maria said, shaking out her hands.

“How come you’re on Captain America’s side?” He asked, Maria frowning.

“It’s complicated.”

“Oh, okay,” Spidey said, immediately backing off, it occurring to Maria he was a bit intimidated by her “Mr. Stark did sort of tell me not to hurt you.”

Maria rolled her eyes.

“And you’ve just been ignoring it?” Maria asked.

“Well, you haven’t exactly given me a choice.”

Spider-Man swooped down and tried to hit her, but Maria kicked him back. Then, Jade threw a small bomb onto the support beam of the connector, causing it to fall down and Spider-Man having to catch it.

“You’re not wrong, I guess.”

.

“We gotta go,” Bucky said over the coms “That guy's probably in Siberia by now.”

“We need to draw out the flyers... I'll take Vision. You get to the jet,” Steve interjected.

“No, you get to the jet! Both of you! The rest of us aren't getting out of here!” Sam said as he was chased by Rhodey.

“As much as I hate to admit it, if we're gonna win this one, some of us might have to lose it,” Clint agreed.

“Maria, you should go with them.”

Maria nearly froze at Wanda’s statement; Vision nearly hitting her with a beam woke her back up.

“No, I’m not leaving you behind!”

“We will be fine,” Pietro said, running around T’Challa and trying to find and opening.

“I agree with Wanda,” Steve said suddenly, Maria’s jaw dropping “Maria, Jade, Bucky, and I will be the ones to go.”

“But-!”

“That’s an order.”

Maria clenched her jaw but shut up.

“Sam, what’s the plan?” she asked after a moment; the team taking that as an agreement. A displeased agreement, but an agreement nonetheless.

“We need a diversion. Something big!” Sam said.

“I got something kinda big, but I can't hold it very long. On my signal, run like hell, and if I tear myself in half, don't come back for me,” Scott said.

“He’s gonna tear himself in half?” Bucky asked uncertainly, Jade answering since she was close enough to say something without the coms.

“Unlikely.”

“You sure about this, Scott?” Steve asked.

“I do it all the time. I mean, once... In a lab. And I passed out,” Scott said before muttering under his breath “I'm the boss, I'm the boss, I'm the boss... I’m The Boss!”

Maria continued to fight anyone that seemed to be overpowering her teammates until…

“Holy Shit!”

It seems the suit went both ways.

A giant Scott grabbed Rhodey out of the sky.

What a _spectacular_ distraction.

While the others fought and distracted them, the four headed towards the Quinjet.

As they ran, they passed Wanda first; the two women’s eyes connecting for a moment and Wanda giving Maria a small smile. Then they passed Pietro and Maria felt a soft kiss against her forehead.

_Be safe, My Love._

Maria smiled slightly at the words in her head; at first it had been off putting to hear someone else’s voice in her head, but now it only brought comfort.

_I’ll try._

They were in the open part of the tarmac; Jade lagging ever so slightly behind.

“I could carry you, you know,” Maria offered.

“Fuck off, Stark,” Jade said through gritted teeth; obviously breathing _much_ harder than the rest of them as they ran.

They were almost there when Vision started to destroy a tower so it would block the hangar entrance.

The four paused for a second; wondering if this was the end of their fight. Then the tower was caught before it could close it off; Wanda was holding it up.

Rhodey attempted to use a high pitch sound on her to get her to stop, but Pietro ran between them; crying out in pain as he took it himself. The four managed to make it into the hangar before Wanda dropped it.

But, what was waiting inside was worrying;

Natasha.

She looked between the four with conflicted eyes as she aimed her electroshock at them.

“Natasha,” Maria said quietly; realizing what might happen.

Then Natasha shot.

But not at them; at T’Challa, who’d been behind them.

“Go.”

They quickly got into the Quinjet; just making it out of there.

Maria looked down at the chaos; swallowing hard as she watched them fight. She was just able to make out the red light and blue blur.

_Please be okay._

.

They’d been flying for about twenty minutes when Jade spoke.

“Um, so, are you guys usually super adrenalized afterwards, because I’m shaking,” Jade said.

“That’s normal,” Steve offered from the pilot seat, glancing back at Jade who was sitting behind Maria; he’d answered because he could tell Maria wasn’t going to. The young woman was resting her head in her hand and was completely stationary.

“Is there a way to get rid of it?”

“I usually work out, but…” Steve said, gesturing to their surroundings. He then realized this might be a good way to get his friends minds off of what was going on; helping someone acclimatize to this life used to bring them all together “Buck?”

“I don’t get it.”

“Okay,” Steve said quickly; he didn’t want to get into that right now “… Maria?”

“How do you _think_ I get rid of it?” Maria asked, her voice biting as she looked up and gave Steve a dirty look.

It was quiet for a long moment.

Maria cleared her throat.

“… Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Steve said kindly.

It was quiet again.

“They’ll be okay,” Jade said softly, Maria snorting.

“Section 12, Clause 7; if needs be, all laws and treaties pertaining to treatment of prisoners may be suspended so as to properly detain enhanced who pose a threat to the World’s security. Laws including but not limited to fifth through eighth amendments and the Geneva Convention.”

Silence filled the jet, Maria returning to her pose of her head in her hand.

“There’s something else,” Jade said; she’d always been able to read Maria.

It was quiet for a moment; Maria trying to figure out how to word it.

“… Wanda felt frightened and now our bond… she’s not asleep, but she’s not awake either… It’s fuzzy. Like when you sit still for too long and your leg gets pins and needles.”

It was finally Bucky who offered an answer; not a possibility of an answer, just an answer.

“Sedation.”

.

The Raft.

Tony studied the floating prison that his teammates- _ex_ -teammates-were being kept at.

The dark, cold prison made Tony feel uncomfortable; yeah, they should be locked up, but here?

He entered the area they were kept in; the cells in a semi-circle.

“The futurist is here, gentlemen! He sees all. He knows what's best for you, whether you like it or not.”

Tony sighed at Clint’s words, going next to his cell to talk to him.

“Clint, I didn’t know they’d lock you up here.”

“Yeah, well, you knew they’d put us somewhere, Tony,” Clint replied.

“Yeah, but not some super max, floating ocean, pokey, you know. This place is for maniacs, this place for-.”

“Criminals,” Clint cut in “Criminals, Tony; think that’s the word you’re looking for, right? It didn’t used to mean me. Or Sam or the Twins. But here we are.”

“You committed a crime.”

Clint sighed and rolled his eyes at Tony.

“How could you be so stupid? Leaving your family like that?” Tony asked, Clint scoffing.

“Because you are just the epitome of a healthy family dynamic, huh?” Clint asked, Tony glowering slightly “It’s not even that you two disagree; that’s understandable. What’s so utterly hysterical to me is the fact you can’t even accept that she came to that position herself.”

“This is none of your business,” Tony hissed at Clint.

“ _Yes it is!”_ Clint replied obviously very unhappy now “You’re not the only one who cares about that kid, Tony, but we clearly care more since we’re actually worried she could end up in this place as well!”

Clint got real close to the bars so he could say this next part quieter.

“Why don’t you go take a mosey over to where the Maximoffs’ are staying,” Clint murmured, jerking his head at the area where the Twins had adjacent cells “See how your daughter’s gonna be treated while you sing kumbaya with your government buddies.”

Tony moved away; not wanting to deal with Clint anymore; it was hitting him to close to home.

“You gotta watch your back with this guy!” Clint called as Tony walked away “There's a chance he's gonna break it!”

Tony paused next to Wanda’s cell; the young woman in a straitjacket with a collar tight around her neck didn’t acknowledge him. She just stared straight ahead.

Tony still believed that they had _something_ to do with Maria going with Cap, whether she used her powers or not was still unknown, but…

This wasn’t right.

“I wouldn’t bother. She has more sedatives in her blood than blood at this point.”

Tony was distracted by Pietro’s voice from the next cell over; Tony walking over to him.

Unlike his sister, he seemed coherent, but like his sister, he was fitted in a collar and straitjacket. He was sat at the back of his cell; facing Tony.

“Pietro-,” Tony started, only to be immediately cut off by Pietro.

“You know, Mr. Stark, when everything was finished in Sokovia; when we joined the Avengers, I could tell Maria wasn’t sure what would happen. She didn’t know how we stood when it came to you; we had spent so long hating you and she understood those feelings don’t go away easily. But, I found myself thinking that if burying that hatred, burying that lifetime of _resentment…_ If that would make her happy, then I could do it. I could move past what had happened; I could move on for her.” Pietro then laughed without humor “Hell, I even started thinking that you couldn’t be _that_ bad, Mr. Stark; not if Maria loved you.”

It was quiet for a moment.

“I should’ve known you would turn on us.”

“How have I turned on you?” Tony demanded “You broke the _law.”_

There was a blur and then Pietro was in the middle of the cell; bent over in pain.

It finally occurred to Tony what those collars were.

“Hey, kid-,” Tony started, concerned.

Pietro slumped back against the wall he’d been leaning on, laughing loudly without humor.

“What, Mr. Stark? Aren’t you proud of what your Accords have accomplished?”

Pietro shook his head a few times; getting his bearings before he spoke again.

“You signed those damn Accords that let them do this to us. And the moment Maria chose to do side with the Captain because of this, you decided it was because we _made_ her. Not because she loves us; not because she wants us safe _.”_

The silence hung heavily for a moment.

“Did you _ever_ accept that she loves us?” Pietro asked, his voice truly questioning and full of hurt “Or were you always waiting for a chance to lock us away from her? You thought we were nothing when you dropped that shell on us, I guess that never changed. You act like you’re worried about me and Wanda, but you’re pleased; I can tell. We can’t be with her; she’s safe from the gutter children who tried to take her away from you… She’s safe from the people who love her.”

“Don’t you _dare_ act like I don’t love her,” Tony hissed “She’s my daughter, for god’s sake; I’ve loved her before you could read those words on your wrist. And she’s loved me longer than she’s even understood why she had those marks.”

“Then why did you try to tell her what to believe?” Pietro asked; Tony’s jaw clenching.

“How do I know _you_ didn’t tell her yourself?”

“Because we _love_ her!” Pietro yelled, even Wanda jerking slightly at the sudden outburst “Because if she’d sided with you, we would’ve been with you! Because! … Because… Because if she’d told us she wanted us to be locked up in here, we would’ve smiled while they snapped these collars around our necks… We did what she asked us to do, because we know she knows the right path… Because we trust her… Why don’t you trust your daughter, Mr. Stark?”

“I _do,”_ Tony protested “I _don’t_ trust you to not take her away from me. She and I have _never_ disagreed on something like this; why would it start _now?_ The only thing different is you two; how can I be the one driving my own daughter away?”

“Mr. Stark…”

Pietro chuckled softly, looking down at the ground before looking back up at Tony.

“It wouldn’t be the first time.”

.

“I’m sorry.”

Jade looked over at her friend, who was looking over the artillery in the Quinjet; they’d landed in Siberia and were preparing to exit the Quinjet and face whatever they may find.

“For what?”

“I dragged you into this,” Maria replied, his voice tired “I made you become a criminal. I made it so you’ll never have a normal life.”

“Maria, you didn’t _make_ me do anything,” Jade said, turning fully towards her “I _chose_ to help you… Maria, I know the Accords are wrong; if I didn’t, I wouldn’t have done this.”

It was quiet for a moment; Jade pondering how to word what she wanted to say.

“Maria, I didn’t do this for you, I didn’t do this for Bucky, I didn’t do this for Steve… I did this for people, I… I did this for the Earth... The world needs the Avengers and it needs them to be free. And if doing this makes me a criminal, then I’m a criminal.”

It was quiet for a moment; Maria and Jade were quiet as they studied each other.

“And, as for a normal life,” Jade said, her tone dead serious “I wouldn’t want one if that meant you weren’t a part of it.”

Maria looked down at the ground, Jade smiling slightly as she sniffled; so easy to make her cry. She finally looked up, gesturing to herself.

“Same, but, I mean, vice-versa.”

Jade smiled and pulled her friend into a hug; the two women hugging for a moment before pulling back.

“I love you,” Jade mumbled, Maria smiling.

“I love you too.”

.

This place had a very creepy feel to it; the four sticking close together with guns drawn as they walked through it.

Then, the door behind them was pried open.

Tony.

“You all seem a little defensive.”

All four of them had their weapons prepared; Maria, Bucky, and Jade pointing guns while Steve held his shield. All of them closely watched the Iron Man helmet lower to reveal Tony’s face.

“Well, it’s been a long day.”

Tony sighed as he saw his daughter aiming a gun at him; he never thought that his life would lead to this.

“Listen, the psychiatrist that was supposed to interrogate him was found dead… It would _appear_ that I was wrong… I realize that now.” 

Steve frowned, slowly lowering his shield; Maria and Jade following his lead and lowering their guns as well.

“About time,” Steve said.

“Yeah, well,” Tony said before seeing Bucky, who was still aiming at him “Manchurian Candidate, you're killing me. We're on a truce. Put the gun down.”

Bucky lowered it begrudgingly after Steve nodded at him.

“How’d you find us?” Steve asked.

“Took a visit to see the others; Sam told me,” Tony offered.

It was quiet for a moment; the four exchanging a look before Steve turned back.

“We should hurry.”

Tony nodded and as they began to walk forward, he went to stand next to Maria; he needed to talk to her. He needed to talk to her about the Twins and what Pietro had said to him; he was planning to keep how they were treating Wanda to himself for now. But, before he could, Jade was attached to her left side and seeming to emulate her was Barnes, on Maria’s right.

They headed into the main room, finding tubes with the super soldiers in them and…

A bullet hole in each ones forehead.

“What happened?” Maria asked, studying each one.

“Why would I want more of them?”

The group looked around; finding the source of the voice. It was a man inside of an observation room; the not-psychiatrist.

“You’re here. I've thought about nothing else for over a year. I studied you, I followed you, but now that you're standing here I just realized... there's a bit of green in the blue of your eyes.  How nice to find a flaw.”

Maria and Jade exchanged a quick look.

“You're Sokovian. Is that what this is about?” Steve asked

“Sokovia was a failed state long before you blew it to hell. No. I'm here because I made a promise.”

Maria wouldn’t say she felt bad for him, but she understood.

“You lost someone,” she said simply.

“I lost everyone. And so will you.”

A tape deck started playing.

It was a dark road; it didn’t seem important until Tony spoke.

“I know that road.”

_Oh, no._

Just as Maria expected, it was her grandparent’s deaths.

And, just as she’d suspected ever since the info leak in 2014, it was Bucky who did it.

Once the video had finished, Tony spoke.

“Did you know?” Tony asked, his voice barely containing his emotions.

“I didn’t know it was him,” Steve attempted.

“Don’t shit me, Rogers! Did you know it was him?!” Tony said, letting out a little bit, but trying to keep it together.

“… Yes.”

It was quiet for a second.

Tony backhanded Steve; sending him flying as Tony went to hit Bucky. Bucky aimed his gun at him, but Tony knocked it out of his hand before flying him to pin him to the ground; right as he was about to blast Bucky in the head, Maria tackled him off.

“Stay out of this!” Tony said, pushing her away before throwing something that attached itself to her.

The Inhuman Suppressor.

While Steve, Tony, and Bucky continued to fight, Maria ran over to Jade.

“Can you remove this?”

Jade gave her a look before looking down at the technology.

“This is… advanced… I didn’t study Inhuman biology, I don’t know how it works,” Jade said, looking over it “I don’t know how to make it _not_ work.”

“Then what do you suggest?” Maria replied, looking over at where the others were fighting; she needed to help.

“We might be able to pry it off?” Jade offered.

But, before either could try, they noticed something; the others were attempting to leave. The idea of being stranded in the middle of Siberia with their ride gone was not appealing, so the two girls followed behind them. As soon as they entered, Tony turned and blocked it off; keeping Steve out

Bucky was attempting to get the top and out the opening, but Tony was right behind him.

“Any day, Moore,” Maria said as she watched her father fly around.

“I’m sorry that I don’t have superpowers,” Jade hissed.

The top suddenly closed; Tony had destroyed part of it.

“Shit,” Maria muttered under her breath.

He was really going to do it; he was really going to kill Bucky.

.

“Tony, this isn’t going to change what happened,” Steve attempted.

“I don’t care; he killed my mom.”

Before Tony could move forward to attack, something stopped him.

Maria, still with the band around her wrist, stepped in between him and Steve.

“Maria,” Tony said in a warning tone “Move now.”

“Dad, don’t you see what his _does_ to people?” Maria asked, her voice heavy with emotion “What it’s done to the man that caused all this, to T’Challa, Vanko, Killian, Rumlow, _Loki…_ What it did to the Maximoffs… Dad… This need for revenge, it _destroys_ people; it can make the best people into monsters. Don’t let that happen to you.”

It was quiet for a moment; only the heavy breaths filling the room.

“I’m not saying this as your teammate or someone who wants to protect Bucky; I’m saying this as your daughter… Dad, this needs to stop,” Maria pled “Please, let this stop.”

Silence filled the room again.

Steve saw it coming before Maria.

He attempted to move her out of the way, but they both got hit by the blast from Tony’s suit; both flying back.

Steve hit one of the concrete pillars.

Maria went in between the two; falling down into the snow underneath.

.

It had been mostly quiet between the inmates; occasionally they’d loudly talk shit, but the atmosphere had set in and all were somberly quiet.

The only one who hadn’t spoken was Wanda; when they’d been taken to the Raft, they’d been quick to pump her full of drugs so she wouldn’t do anything. She was pretty incoherent right now, but Pietro winced as he remembered her panicked response to the needles; the Maximoffs didn’t like needles, not after HYDRA.

But, amid the silence of the Avengers, there was a sudden sound.

Both Maximoffs gave a pained gasp.

.

Jade Moore just witnessed her best friend’s father blast her best friend off into the snow and now she got to watch him blow someone’s arm off. Today was not a good day.

While Steve and Tony continued to fight, Jade slid over to where Bucky was laying.

“Hey, you okay?” she asked, wincing as she looked at the exposed wires “You-You can’t…?”

“I can feel it.”

The color in Jade’s face drained she took a deep breath.

“Okay… Okay; it’s connected to your brain?” Jade asked, Bucky nodding as she studied the wires “Um… I can’t… I can’t make it stop, but…”

She screwed around the wires for a moment and Bucky took a breath; the pain hadn’t stopped, but it’d dulled into something more manageable.

“Thank you,” Bucky said through heavy breaths.

“Yeah, well…”

Jade didn’t say anything, instead she whipped out her gun and shot Tony a few times to get his attention; he’d been hitting Steve more than what would be good for the two in need of him beating Tony.

Before Tony could get to her, Steve was back up and they were back to fighting.

“These fights would go a lot better if I wasn’t useless,” Jade muttered under her breath; her heart clenching as Steve and Tony fought.

“You’re not.”

Jade looked down at Bucky, who was still in pain.

She didn’t say anything, just took his hand in hers as she waited to see what would happen.

.

Maria hissed as she sat up; the cold was biting into her skin, and it didn’t help that her side was bleeding. She pushed her hand against it to attempt to stop it, intending to go find her way back to the fighting, but something caught her eye; the man who’d started this.

She stood up and managed to stumble over to where he sat; plopping down beside him while he didn’t make any move to leave. She didn’t need to detain him, she could tell he just didn’t care anymore; he’d done what he’d intended.

Someone approached them in the snow; Maria looking back to see who.

T’Challa.

The two shared a look, coming to a silent understanding; there wouldn’t be any fighting between them anymore. No reason for it.

“Is this all you wanted? To see them rip each other apart?” T’Challa asked.

“My father lived outside the city, and I thought we would be safe there. My son was excited. He could see the Iron Man from the car window. I told my wife, "Don't worry. They're fighting in the city. We're miles from harm." After the dust cleared, and the screaming stopped, it took me two days until I found their bodies. My father still holding my wife and son in his arms... And the Avengers? They went home.”

“Not all of them,” Maria whispered, the man looking over at her and nodding his head slightly in agreement.

“Still, I knew I couldn't kill them. More powerful men than me have tried. But if I could get them to kill each other... I'm sorry about your father. He seemed a good man, with a dutiful son.”

It was quiet again.

“Vengeance has consumed you. It's consuming them. I'm done letting it consume me. Justice will come soon enough.”

Maria smiled slightly at T’Challa’s words; he was a good man. They needed that right now.

“Tell that to the dead.”

He put a gun to his head, but T’Challa easily stopped him.

“The living are not done with you yet.”

The Sokovian was soon unconscious, T’Challa hauling him over his shoulder; looking over Maria.

“You need medical attention.”

He held his hand out, Maria smiling and taking it; T’Challa helping her stand.

They began to walk back to the Quinjet, Maria gasping slightly at the pain.

As they walked, she thought of her father; consumed by vengeance, like T’Challa said. She couldn’t even be mad at him; most people weren’t strong enough to let something like that go.

Maria looked over at the man helping her walk back to the Quinjet, knowing that when they got there he’d help her dress the wound and make sure she was alright.

“I’ve met people who call themselves Kings,” she managed to say through her pain “You’re the first one who deserves to.”

.

Jade winced as Steve landed hard before he slowly got back up.

“Stay down,” Tony commanded.

“I can do this all day.”

Bucky released Jade’s hand so he could grab at Tony’s legs to distract him; Tony just kicking him in the face. It gave Steve a chance to grab him and pin him; hitting him over and over. He pulled off Tony’s helmet and Jade’s heart stopped; was he going to kill him?

The final hit landed;

The shield was in Tony’s chest plate.

It was quiet for a moment; Jade, Tony, Bucky, and Steve all knowing the same thing.

It was over.


	8. Epilogue

_Dad,_

_I’ve tried to write this letter for months now. Every time I’ve sat down to write it, I couldn’t get my thoughts and emotions in order; I didn’t even know where to start. So, I’ll start with this;_

_I’m not mad._

_I’m not mad at you for choosing the side you did, I’m not mad at you for wanting revenge, I’m not mad at you for what happened to the Twins on the Raft. I am mad about that, just not at you._

_While we’re here, I guess I should mention that we’re together; I’m sure you assumed that after they were all broken out. They’re alright, by the way; once the drugs wore off, Wanda was back to herself. She even told me that what I did to the guards was a bit excessive._

_I’m rambling, but I suppose that’s the only way I’m going to be able to write this letter, so I’m sorry for that._

_Jade’s fine as well; she’s great, actually. She and Scott are working on a new arm for Bucky; he’s had to rein them in from flame throwers. She loves it here; says that the resources are better than anything she’s ever worked with. She sometimes spends all night in the lab; it reminds me of you. Except I think she does it because Bucky will come and sit with her when he has nightmares._

_The place we’ve been staying at, I can’t tell you of course, but it wouldn’t matter because we won’t be staying here for much longer. At least, not me and the Twins; we’re moving to a house. A real house. It’s a bit away from where everyone else is staying so we can have our own place away from lots of people, but close enough we can get there fast if they need us. The Twins won’t let me see it yet; they’ve decorated it all themselves and want it to be a surprise for when we move in. We’re moving in today, actually._

_Actually, maybe that’s why I was able to write this letter; because it’s today. Today’s special; I’m not just moving into my new home, something’s happening that I never thought I’d get to have. I have some pretty amazing friends that make everything possible, and one of them managed to make this day a reality._

_The things is, when I allowed myself to imagine a day like today, you were always there. You were always with me. I guess I can’t have everything, huh?_

_I have so many feelings right now and I don’t know how to express them, so I’ll just finish with this._

_I’m not mad, but I’m also not sorry._

_I’m not sorry for the side I chose, I’m not sorry for trying to protect Bucky, and I’m not sorry for all that I’ve done for the Twins._

_The only thing I’m sorry about is the fact that this tore us apart. I’m sorry we can’t go back to being who we were. I’m sorry that you won’t get to be here today._

_With the way things are, I don’t see being able to see you in the foreseeable future, at least, not under good circumstances. But, I’m hopeful; I always have been and I always will be. Maybe one day we’ll be able to and, if everything goes the way I hope, you’ll be able to meet your grandchildren._

_But, until then, I want you to know I love you and I doubt that will ever change. I only hope that it goes both ways._

_Love,_

_Your Daughter,_

_Maria Maximoff._

Maria put down her pencil, looking at the letter that sat on the vanity in front of her; it didn’t say everything she’d wanted it to say, but it said what needed to be said.

Maria’s mind went back to a few months ago; after T’Challa had first taken them to his home and let them clean up, he told them about the Raft. Just the name of that godforsaken place made Maria angry.

T’Challa helped them get in there, but had to stay out so Wakanda would still be in the clear. Steve and Maria easily cut through the guards, though, and they soon found their teammates.

_“I’m sorry,” Maria said, sounding sick to her stomach as tears worked their way down her cheeks._

_“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Pietro murmured as Scott worked to get the shock collar off of him; Wanda’s had been removed first. The Twins were sat shoulder to shoulder while Maria was opposite of them; Scott doing his best to get the collars of quickly._

_Wanda was staring blankly ahead; completely zoned out because of the drugs they’d forced on her. Maria cupped her cheeks and forced a smile through her tears._

_“Hey, Baby, it’s me. Are you okay?”_

_Wanda didn’t reply; just stared blankly at Maria, like she wasn’t really seeing her soulmate._

_“We’re gonna go somewhere safe, okay? You won’t be hurt anymore.”_

_Again, Wanda didn’t reply._

_Maria started to cry harder; hiccupping slightly as she considered she was the reason the Twins were here, the reason Wanda was unresponsive._

_Suddenly, there was a crash behind her; Maria whipping around to see that a guard had been trying to sneak up behind her and had gone flying. Maria turned back to Wanda, who was still looking at her, but this time with a spark of something in her eyes._

_Maria leaned to gently kiss Wanda on the cheek._

_“Thanks, Angel.”_

Like she’d said in the letter, Wanda had been back to herself once the drugs had worn off, but she’d left out the nightmares she’d get about it on occasion and her _extreme_ hatred of lab or medical rooms. Maria had taken to just having a doctor come up to their room instead of trying to persuade Wanda to go into the medical center.

_They’re fine._

Maria took a deep breath; she had to keep reminding herself that, but it was true. The Twins were fine and they wouldn’t go back to that place, not if she could help it.

Maria looked up at the mirror and smiled slightly at her reflection; she looked nice, no denying that fact.

She slowly picked up her veil and felt its sheer material as she thought.

Theresa had been in this position once, just like she was; all alone and waiting.

But, this wasn’t like Theresa’s; this was hers and that made all the difference.

“Maria?” Steve said, knocking on the door before he opened it “Ready?”

Maria smiled at the man who was going to walk her down the aisle.

“Ready.”

.

“It’s time to say your vows,” T’Challa said, the officiant; he was the one who made all this possible, after all “Wanda?”

The brunette Sokovian took a breath before she spoke; her voice careful and even.

“When I was given these abilities, I was able to see into the mind of anyone: I saw into the minds of the men that guarded me, I saw into the minds of the people of Sokovia, I even saw into the minds of the Avengers. I learned that people’s true natures are even worse than what I could imagine and I began to dread having to look into someone’s mind and seeing the worst side of them. But then I looked into your mind and I nearly fainted. All I saw was beauty and love and kindness, and I knew that you were the most perfect woman to walk the Earth. I could hardly believe that you were mine; you were too good to be mine. But, when I looked into your mind, I saw something else; sadness. I knew you’d lived through great sadness, so now I promise that you will never live through that again.”

Maria looked down and sniffed, everyone giving her a moment to compose herself. Once she looked back up and gave Wanda an adoring look, T’Challa spoke.

“Pietro?”

His hand tightened around his lover’s for a moment before he spoke.

“You know your words on me; _Oh, I’m sorry, that wasn’t very nice of me; I’ll start taking you seriously._ When I was a child, I was slightly embarrassed of them; I knew you were going to laugh at me when we met. Then, I grew older and it changed from embarrassment into some strange self-importance; I thought to myself that when we met, you’d see that I was your soulmate and feel bad about laughing at me. And then we met. Maria, laugh at me. I want nothing more than to see you be so elated that you laugh and if that means making a fool out of myself, then I’ll make a fool out of myself. And I promise that for the rest of our lives, I will make you happy and full of laughter.”

Again, Maria needed to take a moment to compose herself; T’Challa passing her a tissue from the box Sam had _strongly_ suggested he keep near during the ceremony.

“Maria?”

Maria took a deep breath and thought of all the things she wanted to tell them; too many things for the vows. That was okay, though; they’d have time.

“When I was a kid, my family was always busy, so I spent most of my time alone. But, I was never lonely because you two were always there for me. In fact, you weren’t just there when I was feeling lonely; you were there no matter what I felt. When I was scared, or sad, or angry you two were always there to back me up; to let me know I wasn’t alone. And when I was cheerful, or hopeful, or amused you two were always there to share that feeling with me. So, I promise to spend the rest of my life returning that favor; I will always be there to share your elation and your sorrow. You two will never be lonely.”

It was short and sweet and the Twins were near tears.

Maria smiled up at them; her eyes shining as well. She actually got to have this; she’d never thought for a _moment_ that she would be able to.

It was all semantics, of course; the white dress (red, in Wanda’s case), the vows, the rings. She didn’t _need_ these to spend the rest of her life with the Twins. She’d already pledged herself to them; she pledged herself to them long before she’d even met them. But, it was nice; a special celebration for the three of them. She knew once this part was over, they’d drink and dance and party. She and the Twins would slip away early and the Twins would take her home; they might even start working on those babies.

But, for now, there was this; the promise that they’d spend the rest of their lives together. A celebration of their love; not only celebrated by them, but also by their family. She knew that the future held all sorts of problems, but she wasn’t scared; she had Wanda and Pietro.

“I now pronounce you married.”

And she always would.


End file.
